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THE HAND MANUAL

Name: THE HAND MANUAL
Author: Sung Eun Kim
ISBN: 978-1-939248-15-2

by Sung Eun Kim ; illustrated by Ji Won Lee ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2017

Stick with the classic “Where Is Thumbkin” song instead.

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A book celebrates the many things our hands allow us to do.

From expressing emotion and measuring things to grabbing items and pressing buttons, our hands are both useful and creative. Kim divides the book into two sections focusing on work and expression, and each double-page spread includes vignettes that look at some way our hands are helpful to us. “Playing” states that “even without toys you can have fun playing with just your hands.” Shadow and hand puppets, thumb wrestling, and cat’s cradle are all illustrated. “Creating” shows people painting, sculpting, playing a violin (bowing with the left hand), and conducting. Throughout, text boxes define terms, provide further information, offer activities, or emphasize tips: hands can hurt, be gentle; one’s body is one’s own. There is not much included here that readers will find new, and there are many missed opportunities: there is no mention of sign language, the term “opposable thumbs” is not explained beyond the label on a diagram, nothing is said of the uniqueness of fingerprints, and there is no mention made of people who may not have two hands and 10 fingers. All the people (and hands) in the illustrations are light-skinned, and readers may be distracted by the perfectly round heads, toothy smiles, and stylized, elongated, and skinny arms on the characters.

Stick with the classic “Where Is Thumbkin” song instead. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: April 1, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-939248-15-2

Page Count: 34

Publisher: TanTan

Review Posted Online: Feb. 13, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

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CHICKA CHICKA HO HO HO

From the Chicka Chicka Book series

by William Boniface ; illustrated by Julien Chung ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2024

A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree.

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A Christmas edition of the beloved alphabet book.

The story starts off nearly identically to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989), written by John Archambault and the late Bill Martin Jr, with the letters A, B, and C deciding to meet in the branches of a tree. This time, they’re attempting to scale a Christmas tree, not a coconut tree, and the letters are strung together like garland. A, B, and C are joined by the other letters, and of course they all “slip, slop, topple, plop!” right down the tree. At the bottom, they discover an assortment of gifts, all in a variety of shapes. As a team, the letters and presents organize themselves to get back up on the Christmas tree and get a star to the top. Holiday iterations of favorite tales often fall flat, but this take succeeds. The gifts are an easy way to reinforce another preschool concept—shapes—and the text uses just enough of the original to be familiar. The rhyming works, sticking to the cadence of the source material. The illustrations pay homage to the late Lois Ehlert’s, featuring the same bold block letters, though they lack some of the whimsy and personality of the original. Otherwise, everything is similarly brightly colored and simply drawn. Those familiar with the classic will be drawn to this one, but newcomers can enjoy it on its own.

A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024

ISBN: 9781665954761

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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THE CRAYONS GIVE THANKS

by Drew Daywalt & illustrated by Oliver Jeffers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 10, 2024

Formulaic fare that will nevertheless charm devoted followers.

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A few familiar friends explore gratitude.

Daywalt’s crayons have observed many holidays, from Christmas to Earth Day. On Thanksgiving, these anthropomorphic school supplies wax (pun intended) poetic about their favorite things to draw. “Blue is thankful for blueberries.” (The accompanying illustration depicts the stubby crayon leaping into a pile of the fruit.) Black, on a page topped by dark scribbles, “is thankful for night skies.” In an aside, Black adds, “Big, beautiful night skies I get to color in all by myself!” (Blue is perfectly fine with this.) Pink pipes up with “Three glorious words. Amazon. River. Dolphins”—which may spur readers to research these creatures. The tale turns a bit meta, too. Teal is thankful for family—both Blue and Green. Red, surrounded by hearts, is thankful for Neon Green Highlighter, who was accidentally dropped into the crayon box—a “dreamboat” for sure. Recognizable jokes from previous works make appearances; these callbacks will delight staunch fans, though others will find them tiring. Standard cheer and platitudes abound; the crayons are ultimately most grateful for each other.

Formulaic fare that will nevertheless charm devoted followers. (Picture book. 3-6)