An affirming and practical guide.
Chaim suggests stretches, movements, and poses that children can do when confronted with challenges.
A little frog stands on the ladder of a slide looking nervous (“Sometimes things feel so hard”). Two nearby children—one brown-skinned, one light-skinned—chime in: “I wish I felt brave inside.” “Me too!” One has an idea: “I’m wrapping my arms around myself.” The child feels tranquil and brave, like a lion cub. The little ones continue to try different body positions and movements that channel everything from the motion of a train to the strength of a mountain. After these activities, they feel ready to tackle the tall slide. A note from the author offers “courageous cubs” encouragement and validation. In simple illustrations, both children—and the frog—demonstrate the poses and movements, an easy way for readers to see and practice the moves themselves. Each following page shows what the youngsters imagine themselves to be and how they feel, whether full of energy like bouncy balls or “happy and bright, like a shooting star!” The activities are straightforward enough that kids should be able to imitate them easily and aren’t specific to a practice like yoga (though some motions seem to take their cues from the practice). This is a meaningful introduction to a mind-body connection for children in terms they can easily understand.
An affirming and practical guide. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781771646406
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Greystone Kids
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...
A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.
As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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