A stirring celebration of our connection to—and responsibility for—the natural world.
South Africa’s first Black female free-diving instructor tells the story of a Black South African girl called to the ocean to become a mermaid.
“Your life is here.” “This is your home.” Whispers rush past Zandi’s window. At first, she’s scared, since she’s not a strong swimmer, but the ocean, personified as an aqua-blue deity named Maya, promises her no harm. Maya gives Zandi the gift of glittering mermaid fins to help her swim and a beaded bracelet to remind her of her heritage and allow her to return home. Zandi’s short Afro transforms into long flowing blue braids that evoke the memory of women in her family. Maya reminds Zandi of her grandmother’s warning not to throw garbage into the river. Maya has chosen Zandi to help protect the water and gives her a tour of the sea and its wonders. She tells Zandi that she must learn to understand the song of the ocean, shows her the impacts of pollution on the sea, and teaches her about the historical relationship between her people and the whales. Zandi returns home with a new song to spread throughout her community. Vibrant illustrations use color nicely. A close-up of Zandi’s bare feet in the sparkling blue water contrasts effectively with muted scenes depicting the effects of pollution. The encouraging text will empower many children to care for the environment.
A stirring celebration of our connection to—and responsibility for—the natural world. (author’s note, resources for ocean conservation) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9781662520105
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Amazon Crossing Kids
Review Posted Online: Jan. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2024
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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