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NAMING CEREMONY

Name: NAMING CEREMONY
Author: Seina Wedlick
ISBN: 9781419756269

by Seina Wedlick ; illustrated by Jenin Mohammed ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 11, 2023

A wonderful story of a family’s cultural tradition shared with the whole community.

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Amira wants to bestow the perfect name on her baby sister.

True to tradition in many West African countries, Amira’s family has planned a big celebration, complete with food and gifts, for the naming of their new arrival. But the baby doesn’t get just one name; everyone who comes can give her a name, and as she grows, each attendee can either call her their special name or use the name her parents have given her. Grandma Nana, who has dark brown skin like Amira, is gifting the name Shakira, meaning thankful; Amira’s friend Miki gives the baby the name Akahana, Japanese for bright red flower, and appropriately brings along a red flower. The naming ceremony begins—Habiba, or beloved, is the name chosen by Mama and Papa. Though Amira is unsure how her name measures up, at last she proudly names her Otta, or friend. Amira, Mama, Papa, and the baby wear bright blue fabric with golden yellow patterns on it resembling gingko leaves, and though Grandma Nana wears a deep pink dress, it also has the same leaf pattern—identifying them as family. This informative and impactful story gives young readers a window into how West Africans welcome new children into their family. Mohammed’s digitally rendered mixed-media images capture the joyous mood of the gathering. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A wonderful story of a family’s cultural tradition shared with the whole community. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: April 11, 2023

ISBN: 9781419756269

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Abrams

Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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HOW TO CATCH A MONSTER

From the How To Catch… series

by Adam Wallace ; illustrated by Andy Elkerton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2017

Only for dedicated fans of the series.

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When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.

“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.

Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)