Pure fantasy in the best sense.
When the post office announces that children can now be mailed, Dandan is excited to finally visit her father at the South Pole.
On huge, colorful spreads filled with surreal details and bold brush strokes, Dandan embarks on a dreamy journey by affixing winged stamps to her clothing and taking off on the back of a magical blue horse. The Chinese girl with a bowl haircut flies exuberantly over landscapes dotted with whimsical details (such as clothed animals doing jobs and a cage full of colorful birds several times larger than the houses) until she spots trouble. A whale has trapped a ship against an island! Fantastical sea creatures ogle the disaster from below. Discarding stamps like petals, Dandan descends to rescue the boat and its crew but then realizes she has no more stamps for flying. Of course, she finds a very creative solution, and the delightful sight of a little man in his green parka waving from an iceberg will not fail to bring a smile to any reader’s face. Gong’s artwork is a riot of colors and odd juxtapositions and compositions, a cross between Elisa Kleven’s and Maira Kalman’s work. Every page includes charming details scattered across dynamic and bold compositions, especially delightful when paired with Zhu’s absurd plot conveyed through expressive font sizes, shapes, and colors. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11.4-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 60% of actual size.)
Pure fantasy in the best sense. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4788-6853-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Reycraft Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
A sweet notion that falls flat.
A hit song reimagined as a book about parental love.
Featured in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1, Perri’s “A Thousand Years” deals with the speaker’s fear of romantic love. In picture-book form, it explores a parent’s unwavering love for a child, who grows from an infant into a toddler over the course of the narrative. The caregiver expresses awe when the youngster learns to stand and fear that the child might fall while beginning to walk. “I have spent every day waiting for you,” the parent says. “Darling, don’t be afraid.” What the child might fear isn’t clear from the joyful balloon- and rainbow-filled illustrations. The story borders on cloying, and words that might work when sung and accompanied by music don’t sound fresh on the page: “Time goes by. / You grow ever stronger as you fly.” The refrain, however, is a lovely sentiment: “I have loved you for a thousand years. / I’ll love you for a thousand more.” Perri’s legion of fans may flock to this version, illustrated by Ruiz with sparkling stars, bubbles, and big-eyed toddlers, but it doesn’t hold together as a narrative or an ode, as it’s billed, and it’s a long way from the original song. The child is tan-skinned, the parent is lighter-skinned, and other characters are diverse.
A sweet notion that falls flat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622599
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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
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