A sweet tale that will inspire many young readers to join their elders outdoors.
In Lee’s debut picture book, a young Chinese girl helps her grandfather in his garden.
When springtime comes, Jade’s favorite place to be is with her Gung Gung (maternal grandfather) in his vegetable garden. On single pages and across two-page spreads of the book, Jade helps Gung Gung dig and plant and water. When summer comes, she delights in harvesting the produce—much of it Chinese—and telling readers about its nutritional properties (Jade’s inquisitive nature is beautifully emphasized when she imagines herself fighting oversized germs). She and Gung Gung grow so much food that they have lots to share with Jade’s racially diverse group of friends. Lee tells a simple story of intergenerational bonding and appreciation of nature. Jade’s exuberance is evident from the outset (“I squeal and race him to the backyard…I skip and hop across the yard to check on the seedlings every day”) and is ably conveyed through vibrant digital art by Do. The illustrations capture the variety of colors and exotic appeal of Gung Gung’s garden, offering enough detail to stimulate but not clutter and leaving plenty of blank space for the text. The astute use of color links—such as Jade’s boots matching the purple eggplants, or her and Gung Gung’s hats matching the pumpkins—help to draw readers through the story.
A sweet tale that will inspire many young readers to join their elders outdoors.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9781998215072
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Pomelo Hat Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 21, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers.
Echoing the meter of “Mary Had a Little Lamb,” Ward uses catchy original rhymes to describe the variety of nests birds create.
Each sweet stanza is complemented by a factual, engaging description of the nesting habits of each bird. Some of the notes are intriguing, such as the fact that the hummingbird uses flexible spider web to construct its cup-shaped nest so the nest will stretch as the chicks grow. An especially endearing nesting behavior is that of the emperor penguin, who, with unbelievable patience, incubates the egg between his tummy and his feet for up to 60 days. The author clearly feels a mission to impart her extensive knowledge of birds and bird behavior to the very young, and she’s found an appealing and attractive way to accomplish this. The simple rhymes on the left page of each spread, written from the young bird’s perspective, will appeal to younger children, and the notes on the right-hand page of each spread provide more complex factual information that will help parents answer further questions and satisfy the curiosity of older children. Jenkins’ accomplished collage illustrations of common bird species—woodpecker, hummingbird, cowbird, emperor penguin, eagle, owl, wren—as well as exotics, such as flamingoes and hornbills, are characteristically naturalistic and accurate in detail.
A good bet for the youngest bird-watchers. (author’s note, further resources) (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 18, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2116-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2014
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