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MADAME BADOBEDAH

Name: MADAME BADOBEDAH
Author: Sophie Dahl
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1022-4

by Sophie Dahl ; illustrated by Lauren O'Hara ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 14, 2020

A warmhearted tale of intergenerational connection.

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Is the newest resident of the Mermaid Hotel “an ancient supervillain on the run”?

Mabel, the young narrator, is an adventurer who likes to go barefoot, pockets full of small packets of marmalade and butter for snacks. When an imperious old woman, hair “red and crunchy, like a candy apple without the stickiness,” arrives with a great deal of baggage, two dogs, two cats, and a tortoise who skitters “along the floor like a man on a mission,” Mabel dubs her “Madame Badobedah (rhymes with ooooh la la).” Mabel is certain that the new occupant of Room 32 is a fugitive criminal, perhaps “an international jewel thief.” Mabel peeks in through the keyhole. But, invited in for tea, Mabel tells Madame Badobedah about the pirate Anne Bonny, and the two imagine a wild escapade on the high seas. Mabel learns that Madame Badobedah had been a ballerina and had “crossed the sea on a big ship, because there was a war.” Dahl’s voice for Mabel is young and amusingly opinionated. O’Hara’s watercolor illustrations have a retro feel, with lighthearted views of the seaside hotel, Mabel and Madame—and some mermaids. All the characters are white. The appeal of Mabel’s fanciful take on the older woman’s past grows along with their friendship, transforming the poignancy and losses of old age into something sweetly adventuresome and glamorous.

A warmhearted tale of intergenerational connection. (Picture book. 4-9)

Pub Date: April 14, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-5362-1022-4

Page Count: 56

Publisher: Walker US/Candlewick

Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
MADAME BADOBEDAH AND THE OLD BONES
by Sophie Dahl ; illustrated by Lauren O'Hara

- BOOK REVIEW
INSIDE CHARLIE'S CHOCOLATE FACTORY
by Lucy Mangan ; introduction by Sophie Dahl

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LITTLE DAYMOND LEARNS TO EARN

by Daymond John ; illustrated by Nicole Miles ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 21, 2023

It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.

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How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!

John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)

Pub Date: March 21, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)