Painterly figures against plenty of white space—and those gorgeous, red cherries—invite readers into their own fruit-fueled...
A mother gives her two unnamed children five cherries each—they won’t last long. Or will they?
The children are identical—white with dark, straight hair in bowl cuts, both wearing black-and-white–striped tops and black pants—except for the ribbons tied around their outsized heads (one red, one blue) and their shoes (black Mary Janes and white sneakers, respectively), so smudgily painted many readers will miss them. As they play, they shed both ribbons and shoes, becoming nigh indistinguishable. At first they are very different in attitude, though. One complains, “What am I gonna do with only 5 cherries?” The other celebrates: “I’m gonna do a ton of things with these 5 cherries.” Though the blue-ribboned child declares, “I’m gonna eat them all at once,” while stuffing them in, there’s a lot more playing than eating going on. Readers will wonder whether Mom, off-page, supplies more, or perhaps the children pick them for themselves, as the cherries seem not to run out, at least not permanently, and they take a lot of punishment. The fruits are used as pretend medals, ammunition in toy cannon, pie filling, and—in a perfectly childlike moment—tiny pretend breasts, among other deployments. The children move beyond stereotypical gendered play to creative endeavors, harmoniously cooperative in their absorption.
Painterly figures against plenty of white space—and those gorgeous, red cherries—invite readers into their own fruit-fueled fantasies. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-59270-222-0
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Enchanted Lion Books
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2017
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 visually striking, engaging picture book that sends the message that everyone counts.
A playful counting book also acts as a celebration of family and human diversity.
Shannon’s text is delivered in spare, rhythmic, lilting verse that begins with one and counts up to 10 as it presents different groupings of things and people in individual families, always emphasizing the unitary nature of each combination. “One is six. One line of laundry. One butterfly’s legs. One family.” Gomez’s richly colored pictures clarify and expand on all that the text lists: For “six,” a picture showing six members of a multigenerational family of color includes a line of laundry with six items hanging from it outside of their windows, as well as the painting of a six-legged butterfly that a child in the family is creating. While text never directs the art to depict diverse individuals and family constellations, Gomez does just this in her illustrations. Interracial families are included, as are depictions of men with their arms around each other, and a Sikh man wearing a turban. This inclusive spirit supports the text’s culminating assertion that “One is one and everyone. One earth. One world. One family.”
A visually striking, engaging picture book that sends the message that everyone counts. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 26, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-374-30003-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Frances Foster/Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
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