Climb aboard and regulate wiggly minds and bodies.
A little bear compares mindfulness techniques to the sights and sounds of a train station.
Thoughts, emotions, and desires swirl into a child’s mind at a moment’s notice, just like a train rushing into the station. One car has an ice-cream window; another is full of toys! A flatbed carries wishes—like “birthday cake for breakfast.” Spilling out of another are all the “words you wanted to say, / adventures, stories and games you could play.” The cuddly cub doesn’t board the train but instead stays at the station, noticing each car and watching them zoom by. The train whistles and screeches as it arrives but hums a meditative “clickety-clack” as it chugs away. While the rhyming verse is not as regular as that onomatopoeia suggests, the conceit is gracefully and consistently handled: “Wait! The signal lights are flashing: red, yellow, green. / Stop and slow down your breathing machine. // Feel the thumpety-thump of your little heartbeat / from the top of your head to the tips of your feet.” Calming watercolors and delicately inked illustrations match the soothing mood. Katz employs a very clever concept: a metaphor using a favorite childhood obsession—it’s hard to top that. Plus, no baggage (literal or figurative) is needed for this trip. (This book was reviewed digitally with 7-by-15-inch double-page spreads viewed at 77.4% of actual size.)
Climb aboard and regulate wiggly minds and bodies. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-61180-791-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bala Kids/Shambhala
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Adults will do better skipping the book and talking with their children.
Social-equity themes are presented to children in ABC format.
Terms related to intersectional inequality, such as “class,” “gender,” “privilege,” “oppression,” “race,” and “sex,” as well as other topics important to social justice such as “feminism,” “human being,” “immigration,” “justice,” “kindness,” “multicultural,” “transgender,” “understanding,” and “value” are named and explained. There are 26 in all, one for each letter of the alphabet. Colorful two-page spreads with kid-friendly illustrations present each term. First the term is described: “Belief is when you are confident something exists even if you can’t see it. Lots of different beliefs fill the world, and no single belief is right for everyone.” On the facing page it concludes: “B is for BELIEF / Everyone has different beliefs.” It is hard to see who the intended audience for this little board book is. Babies and toddlers are busy learning the names for their body parts, familiar objects around them, and perhaps some basic feelings like happy, hungry, and sad; slightly older preschoolers will probably be bewildered by explanations such as: “A value is an expression of how to live a belief. A value can serve as a guide for how you behave around other human beings. / V is for VALUE / Live your beliefs out loud.”
Adults will do better skipping the book and talking with their children. (Board book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-78603-742-8
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Frances Lincoln
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2019
Colorful, upbeat, and just for Swifties.
What is being a Swiftie all about? Finding joy in the things you love!
For Taylor Swift and her fans, love comes from baking tasty desserts, snuggling with pets, enjoying fireworks with friends, and attending concerts. Vibrant illustrations that evoke bright pop music are scattered with references to Taylor’s life, such as a red sports jersey (a nod to her high-profile relationship with a certain Kansas City Chiefs tight end) or a stack of friendship bracelets (which devotees know are commonly made by hand and traded at Swift’s concerts). Without this prior knowledge of Swift lore, this peppy picture book may feel like a somewhat superficial, though positive, list of ways to find happiness; some readers may wish the author had included messages about acceptance and self-love, commonly found in Swift’s lyrics. Still, the intended audience will welcome it as a joyful love letter to her fans. Pops of color splash across scenes of Taylor and a racially diverse set of friends doing their favorite things atop a stark white background. The star’s recognizable fashion style and facial features are spot-on, while most other featured characters feel more generic.
Colorful, upbeat, and just for Swifties. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9781665973519
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon Spotlight
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
