In this story, rainbows feel like an overworked symbol rather than a genuine mark of Pride.
LGBTQ+ advocates Jordan and Hendrix urge readers to celebrate their unique selves.
Everyone has a rainbow, “made up of all the things that make you happy.” As the book begins, a pale-skinned, black-haired child takes part in a variety of activities: having a bubble bath, trying on different clothes (including overalls and a dress), and attending a Pride parade alongside adults of various races, abilities, and gender expressions. The mood shifts as the protagonist notices a sad-looking child curled up amid gray rain clouds. “Everyone has their own rainbow, but not everyone feels comfortable letting theirs shine,” we’re told. Readers are reminded “that the sun will appear again soon” and that rainbows appear “when the sun shines through the rain.” Though rainbows and other queer symbols are everywhere in Chen’s dreamy, color-strewn artwork, the text sticks to generalities. Pride is described as “the feeling that wraps around you like a cozy hug” and “when you are loved for being yourself.” It’s a laudable, reassuring sentiment, but without context from adults, young readers won’t grasp the message that all LGBTQ+ identities should be celebrated, though backmatter fills in some gaps. The jewel-toned illustrations are engaging and bright, but the tale’s many platitudes (“Just be true to who you are!”) leave the book feeling cliched.
In this story, rainbows feel like an overworked symbol rather than a genuine mark of Pride. (note for caregivers, reflection questions, glossary) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 17, 2024
ISBN: 9781464224188
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2024
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
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