Cherry, M. A. (2019). Hair love. Kokila.
Overview
A little girl's daddy steps in to help her arrange her curly, coiling, wild hair into styles that allow her to be her natural, beautiful self.
Evaluation
The inside covers are purple and match the outside cover. Some of the pages are double page format while others are single. Great book to have a discussion on family, love, hair, differences, and finding beauty in ourselves. The story is heartwarming and charming with beautiful illustrations. The story portrays the young girl as recognizing everything her father does. With this text, students can practice making connections, retelling, point of view, and theme.
Booklist (April 1, 2019 (Vol. 115, No. 15))Grades K-3. In this endearing take on stories pertaining to promoting natural hairstyles for African American children, Cherry and Harrison create an unforgettable picture book about the bond between an African American father and his daughter. Readers will love the positive language used to describe kinks, coils, braids, twists, and Afro puffs as stylish and regal looks fit for royalty. The illustrations meld perfectly with the story as the illustrious depictions help explain the wonders of hair growth, shrinkage, moisturizing, and styling Black hair. It also features a young, hip dad with beautiful tattoos and his own hair styled in long dreads. The father and daughter’s tender interactions are heartwarming to observe and will easily become a favorite among families. Written and illustrated in a style similar to Natasha Anastasia Tarpley’s I Love My Hair! (1998), Cherry and Harrison’s book provides an engaging and lovable story for younger audiences. Parents, children, caregivers, teachers, and librarians will find this story to be the right fit for their bookshelves.
Kirkus Reviews (March 15, 2019)
A black girl helps her dad learn how to give her the perfect hairstyle for a very special day. Zuri’s voluminous head of hair “has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls every which way.” She is pictured asleep with a large Afro framing her face. She is proud of her hair, which she sometimes wears in braids with beads like a princess and other times in pigtail puffs. But today is a special day. She knows Daddy is “worn-out” and probably needs a break, so she lets him sleep in while she looks up hairstyles on a tablet. When Daddy wakes and offers to help, he tries a series of hairstyles that just don’t work. Finally, Zuri grabs some hair supplies and shows him a tutorial. “Watching carefully… / Daddy combed, / parted, oiled, and twisted. / He nailed it!” Zuri is lovely and happy with her freshly done hairstyle, and when Mommy arrives to their “Welcome Home” sign, she loves Zuri’s look too. The digital illustrations feature details that feel just right: Zuri’s thick, textured hair, Daddy’s locs and tattoo, and dark-skinned Mom’s bright headwrap. While it’s unclear where Mommy is returning from (she is dressed casually and has a rolling black suitcase), this authentic depiction of a loving and whole black family broadens the scope of representation. Positively refreshing. (Picture book. 4-9)
Daywalt, D. (2013). The day the crayons quit. Philomel Books.
Overview
When Duncan arrives at school one morning, he finds a stack of letters, one from each of his crayons, complaining about how he uses them.
Evaluation
The inside covers are filled with different colored crayons. When the book jacket is removed, the cover is the exact same thing. The story is mainly written in letter format with the illustrations resembling a real kids artwork. The story is humorous with the storyline from the crayons point of view. The pages become redundant with a letter of complaint from one of the crayons. With this text, students can discuss perspectives, emotions, persuasion, and letter writing.
Publishers Weekly (June 22, 2015)How do you follow a hit like The Day the Crayons Quit? Stick with what works, and add a twist: instead of letters, Duncan receives a stack of postcards from crayons that have been misplaced or maligned, or are ready for adventure. A directionally challenged neon red crayon tries to get home after being abandoned at a motel; a trip through the dryer has left a turquoise crayon stuck to a sock; and a chunky toddler crayon can't abide Duncan's baby brother ("Picasso said every child is an artist, but I dunno"). Once again, Daywalt and Jeffers create rich emotional lives and personalities for their colorful cast, and it's hard to imagine a reader who won't be delighted. Ages 5-8. Author's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. Illustrator's agent: Paul Moreton, Bell, Lomax, Moreton Agency. (Aug.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal (August 1, 2015)
K-Gr 2-Duncan's crayons are back in this companion to the spectacular The Day the Crayons Quit (Philomel, 2014), and they are just as forthright as ever. A stack of postcards arrive for the neglectful boy, this time written by a new batch of crayons who have been forgotten at motels, lost under the couch, or left behind in the basement. Maroon has been marooned under the sofa, having been broken by Duncan's dad, who sat on it, Tan (or Burnt Sienna) has seen better days and has recently been puked up by the dog, and old frenemies Orange and Yellow have melted in the sun to become one gooey mess. Recurring postcards from Pea Green (aka Esteban), who dreams of traveling, and clueless Neon Red, who writes about grand adventures abroad, will elicit giggles from young ones. Jeffers's mixed-media illustrations of photographed postcards and childlike crayon drawings against white backdrops enhance kid appeal and encourage close visual reading. A glow-in-the-dark spread and chatty household items, such as a sock, a paper clip, and a pencil sharpener, are new aspects to look forward to, and the general theme of home being a place where everyone belongs will resonate with old and young readers alike. VERDICT A brilliant, colorful tale that begs to be read aloud and a must-have for all collections.-Shelley Diaz, School Library Journal © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
K-Gr 2-Duncan's crayons are back in this companion to the spectacular The Day the Crayons Quit (Philomel, 2014), and they are just as forthright as ever. A stack of postcards arrive for the neglectful boy, this time written by a new batch of crayons who have been forgotten at motels, lost under the couch, or left behind in the basement. Maroon has been marooned under the sofa, having been broken by Duncan's dad, who sat on it, Tan (or Burnt Sienna) has seen better days and has recently been puked up by the dog, and old frenemies Orange and Yellow have melted in the sun to become one gooey mess. Recurring postcards from Pea Green (aka Esteban), who dreams of traveling, and clueless Neon Red, who writes about grand adventures abroad, will elicit giggles from young ones. Jeffers's mixed-media illustrations of photographed postcards and childlike crayon drawings against white backdrops enhance kid appeal and encourage close visual reading. A glow-in-the-dark spread and chatty household items, such as a sock, a paper clip, and a pencil sharpener, are new aspects to look forward to, and the general theme of home being a place where everyone belongs will resonate with old and young readers alike. VERDICT A brilliant, colorful tale that begs to be read aloud and a must-have for all collections.-Shelley Diaz, School Library Journal © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Other Books Written by Drew Daywalt
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors
The Epic Adventures of Huggie & Stick
Sleepy, the Goodnight Buddy
de la Pena, M. (2021). Milo imagines the world. G. P. Putnam's Sons.
Overview
While Milo and his sister travel to a detention center to visit their incarcerated mother, he observes strangers on the subway and draws what he imagines their lives to be.
Evaluation
Milo's hat on the cover matches the inside cover of the book. The author portrays Milo has an artist who draws pictures of the passengers on the subway and make up stories about who they are and where they are going. The illustrations are beautiful and depict the important aspects of African American people. The moral of the story is we shouldn't judge people in a short encounter by the way they dress. There are many reading skills that can be taught using this text such as, character traits, summary, point of view, theme, and making inferences.
Publishers Weekly starred (January 4, 2021)
On a long subway ride through New York City, a Black boy named Milo looks around at the other passengers. He wears glasses and an oversize hat, and carries a sketch pad. His older sister sits next to him, busy with her phone, but they feel the same mixture of emotions: "Excitement stacked on top of worry/ on top of confusion/ on top of love." Where are they going? Readers know only that the siblings take this journey once a month, on a Sunday. Working in blocky forms and warm, bright colors, Robinson creates a subway car full of distinct personalities as a tapestry of city life unspools in front of Milo. A Black woman in a wedding dress, a group of break-dancing girls with various skin tones, a jacketed white boy with neatly combed hair and spotless white Nikes-Milo imagines existences for them all, drawing in his sketchbook as readers look over his shoulder. For the boy in white shoes, Milo invents a princely existence, with a castle and servants to bring him food. But the boy gets off the same stop as Milo and waits in line at the same place, a moment that transforms Milo’s view of the people whose lives he’s imagined: "Maybe you can’t really know anyone just by looking at their face." In this rich, multilayered journey, the award-winning creators of Last Stop on Market Street celebrate a city’s kaleidoscope of scenes, offer a glimpse at a child’s experience with parental incarceration, and convey that child’s keen observations about his circumstances and surroundings. Ages 4-8. Agent (for de la Peña and Robinson): Steven Malk, Writers House. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal (January 1, 2021)
K-Gr 3-The creators of the Newbery Award-winning Last Stop on Market Street team up for another journey with a life lesson on a child's level. This time, Milo and his teen sister, who are both Black, take a long subway ride together. Big sister is glued to her cell phone and bespectacled Milo draws the lives he imagines for other passengers on the train. Maybe the whiskered man doing crosswords lives all alone with parakeets and a cat. Maybe the little white boy in a suit lives in a castle. Maybe the wedding dress lady and her groom will take flight in a hot air balloon after the ir nuptials. Initially, this appears to be a story about how being observant feeds the creative process, but when Milo and his sister arrive at the prison where their mother is incarcerated, the white boy from the train is also there to visit his own mother. "Maybe you can't really know anyone just by looking at their face," thinks Milo. Robinson captures the vivacity of the New York City subway with his acrylic paint and collage and faux naïve style, while other spreads show Milo's childlike crayon drawings. The text is rich with words like tepid, mewling, and infinite, and vividly compares Milo's excitement to "shook-up soda," while the happy bride has "a face made out of light." VERDICT Pictures brimming with activity, an endearing main character, and threads for thinking about art, families, and what we see in others make this a book that will hold up to many readings.-Jan Aldrich Solow, formerly Fairfax County Public Sch., VA © Copyright 2021. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Other Books Written by Matt de la Pena
Last Stop on Market Street
Love
Carmela Full of Wishes
Harris, M. (2021). Ambitious girl. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Overview
A girl sees a woman labeled as having too much ambition, but when the girl considers its definition, she finds herself inspired and realizes ambition is required to make changes to the world and have her voice be heard.
Evaluation
The story is inspiring, empowering, and delivers a positive message to the readers. The message is clear and easily understood by young readers without talking down to them. The illustrations are amazing and allow young girls to see themselves in the story. The words and pictures embrace different types of females' backgrounds and their inner beauty. With this text, students can learn about female figures, making connections, and important vocabulary.
Grades K-3. Harris' empowering picture book about overcoming obstacles to reach a goal stars an irrepressible Black girl who finds strength in various role models. Blocky, charcoal-colored fonts, saying "too loud," "too persistent," "too ambitious," and "too too too" are dismaying to the girl, but soft shades and expressive fonts gradually overtake those scenes with encouraging language alongside images of strong, powerful women. Bolstered by the strong women in her family, the little girl finds confidence, and the joy is palpable as women of all backgrounds crowd together in warm scenes in cheery yellows, oranges, and purples. Together they tackle barriers by bringing forth their collective sunshine. This invigorating girl-power story demonstrates that overcoming prejudice is possible with confidence and support, and it nicely emphasizes the positive connotations of words that often are applied to women in a negative way. The lively illustrations show a wide, inclusive array of women and girls, and the narrator, with her bouncy, tight curls and confident stature, steals the spotlight. An optimistic and refreshing call to unity and social justice.
Publishers Weekly (January 18, 2021)
Harris and Valdez’s appreciable celebration of female ambition begins with a televised broadcast of a Black female speaker being labeled "too assertive, too persistent, too ambitious, too loud." In Valdez’s bright, largely unlined art, a brown-skinned girl, who walks up the street with three older Black women, is not discouraged by what she sees. Though she sometimes hears "you’re ‘too that’ or you’re ‘too this,’ " her mother explains that historical figures, shown in a navy wash, "have opened so many doors," paving the way for this child’s hopes and desires to flourish. The same words once used to criticize the televised woman are seen in a new, positive light by book’s end: digital art shows the girl taking a stage of her own, where she proudly exclaims that she, too, is "AMBITIOUS!" Ages 4-8. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Other Books Written by Meena Harris
Kamala and Maya's Big Idea
Higgins, R. T. (2018). We don't eat our classmates. Disney.
Overview
When the class pet bites the finger of Penelope, a tyrannosaurus rex, she finally understands why she should not eat her classmates, no matter how tasty they are.
Evaluation
The story allows the reader to see themselves and examine their behaviors without pointing fingers. Great book to compare our actions to Penelope's and how we can turn the situations around, learn from them, use empathy, and how to start over to making friends. The pictures are terrific and represent a diverse community within the school. With this text, students can analyze the story structure, theme, sentence types, and vocabulary.
Grades K-2. The first day of school is coming, and Penelope, an orange T. rex with the air of a squishy stuffed animal, is nervous about making friends. But her lunch of 300 sandwiches is packed, and her backpack, featuring delicious ponies, is ready to go. Sensing a theme? Penelope thinks with her stomach—a trait that gets her into trouble when she discovers that her classroom is populated entirely by tasty, tasty children. Penelope promptly eats them all. She spits them out, but it’s a little hard to make friends after that. Her dad tries to explain why people don’t like being eaten, but it’s not until Penelope makes a lonely attempt to befriend the classroom goldfish that she truly understands. The students in Penelope’s class are diverse in skin tone and background: one student wears a hijab, another a yarmulke, and one, of course, is a dinosaur. Despite all the chomping, the bright colors and deceptively adorable dinosaurs make this a fun read rather than a scary one, with a hidden lesson about boundaries. Too much fun for a single read.
Horn Book Guide starred (Spring 2019)
On the first day of school, Tyrannosaurus rex Penelope does what any nervous dino would do: she eats her human classmates (then spits them out). Then the class goldfish takes a bite of her finger: "Once Penelope found out what it was like to be someone's snack, she lost her appetite for children." Higgins builds his humorous, soft-around-the-edges cast out of dinosaurishly lumpy-craggy art.
Other Books Written by Ryan T. Higgins
Hotel Bruce
What About Worms!?
We Will Rock Our Classmates
Overview
A very good egg learns to relax and not be perfect all the time.
Evaluation
The book jacket and book cover are the same with the inside covers with pictures of breakfast items. The moral of the story is we can't put so much pressure on ourselves and it is ok to be imperfect at times. Depicts the importance of accepting ourselves and others for who they are. The illustrations are detailed and well done. With this text, students can identify character traits as well as using the illustrations to increase meaning.
Booklist starred (January 1, 2019 (Vol. 115, No. 9))
Grades K-3. This is another thought- and laughter-provoking morality tale from the creators of The Bad Seed (2017). Where the bad seed went out of his way to be rude and mean, the good egg knocks himself out helping others. We meet this paragon of virtue, a speckled brown egg with enormous eyes magnified by huge round glasses, as he rescues a cat from a tree. The egg narrates his own story, telling of his many commendable deeds (the reader may suspect he’s a bit of an egg-omaniac). The art, using watercolor textures and digital paint, is filled with comic detail, as in the curved piece of bacon that captures the bent form of an elderly woman whom the good egg helps across the street, or in the good egg’s 11 siblings, who upend every scene they’re in with their pranks. The narrator is a one-egg rescue squad and cleanup crew, until one day his brain feels scrambled and he starts to crack—literally. Realizing he "can't be the only good egg in a bad carton," he leaves for some relaxation and much-needed "me time." Eventually he returns home a better egg, having learned not to be so hard on others (like his carton mates) or, more important, on himself. An enormously entertaining lesson about the perils of perfectionism.
Horn Book Guide starred (Fall 2019)
In this humorous picture book, the protagonist is "a good egg," but the same cannot be said about the eleven others in his dozen. The pressure of policing everyone's behavior makes him crack (literally), so he strikes out on his own. The simple lessons in John's light-and-breezy text are useful; Oswald's textured watercolor and digital illustrations show an egghead personified, and one for whom readers will cheer.
Other Books Written by Jory John
The Couch Potato
The Cool Bean
The Smart Cookie
Lang, S. (2018). Grumpy monkey. Random House.
Overview
Jim Panzee wakes up in a bad mood one beautify day, but he keeps denying he is grumpy even as his friends give advice for feeling better.
Evaluation
Hilarious picture book perfect for children learning how to deal with feelings. The illustrations are funny and appealing and anyone could relate to Jim Panzee. The message is easily depicted by saying it is ok to be grumpy, but need to be careful how our grumpiness can get in the way of treating others. With this text, students discuss how characters change from beginning to the end.
It’s a wonderful day in the jungle, so why’s Jim Panzee so grumpy? When Jim woke up, nothing was right: "The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, and bananas were too sweet." Norman the gorilla asks Jim why he’s so grumpy, and Jim insists he’s not. They meet Marabou, to whom Norman confides that Jim’s grumpy. When Jim denies it again, Marabou points out that Jim’s shoulders are hunched; Jim stands up. When they meet Lemur, Lemur points out Jim’s bunchy eyebrows; Jim unbunches them. When he trips over Snake, Snake points out Jim’s frown…so Jim puts on a grimacelike smile. Everyone has suggestions to brighten his mood: dancing, singing, swinging, swimming…but Jim doesn’t feel like any of that. He gets so fed up, he yells at his animal friends and stomps off…then he feels sad about yelling. He and Norman (who regrets dancing with that porcupine) finally just have a sit and decide it’s a wonderful day to be grumpy—which, of course, makes them both feel a little better. Suzanne Lang’s encouragement to sit with your emotions (thus allowing them to pass) is nearly Buddhist in its take, and it will be great bibliotherapy for the crabby, cranky, and cross. Oscar-nominated animator Max Lang’s cartoony illustrations lighten the mood without making light of Jim’s mood; Jim has comically long arms, and his facial expressions are quite funny. Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his journey. (Picture book. 4-8)
Publishers Weekly Annex (June 4, 2018)
A monkey learns to ride out a wave of emotion in this reassuring picture book about feelings from the creators of Families, Families, Families! After Jim Panzee wakes up on the wrong side of the tree, nothing seems right: "The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, and the bananas were too sweet." His neighbor Norman suggests that he may just be grumpy, though Jim insists that's not the problem. On a walk through the jungle, everyone he meets offers advice for changing his mood: "'You should sing with us!'/... 'You should lie in the grass!'/... 'You should take a bath!'" When he's had his fill of cheery recommendations, he storms off. It's not until he re-encounters Norman, who's now nursing an injury, that Jim realizes they will both "probably feel better soon enough," and that he just needs to be grumpy for a while. Lang nimbly creates an animal cast with expressive cartoonish eyes and exaggerated facial expressions, which make their antics in the playful text all the more humorous. Ages 4-8. (May) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Other Books Written by Suzanne Lang
Families, Families, Families!
Grumpy Monkey, Party Time!
All Kinds of Families
Kirkus Reviews (February 1, 2021)
An earnest but incompetent kid strives to bring order to his elementary school classroom in this picture-book companion to the TV show The Office. When Michael Scott is appointed class Line Leader at Dunder Mifflin Elementary, he has his mom fashion him a sippy cup that reads “World’s Best Line Leader.” A kid named Dwight observes the chaos in the classroom—which is mystifyingly devoid of adults for the entire book—and tells Michael he might need some help. Other kids agree. Accepting Dwight as Assistant to the Line Leader, Michael proceeds to tell Angela to plan a party to be held in five minutes’ time and then struggles to fulfill his function by lining the kids up. Several pages of ineffectual lining-up later, Pam suggests Michael ask for help. A brainstorming session yields several ideas, including “beet harvesting,…pretzel toppings, cuteness, [and the] buddy system.” As Michael surveys his classmates happily eating cake, he concludes, “I lead a great class.” In Demmer’s cartoon illustrations, all the kids have a bobblehead look, with wide, staring eyes; most, including Michael, present White. Periodically the narrative stops to allow one or two students to break the fourth wall and comment on the action in some fashion. These interruptions are in keeping with the TV show’s formula but do not provide enough scaffolding to allow child readers to understand what’s going on; nonsensical dialogue (“A mistake plus Keleven equals seven!”) likewise excludes children from the joke. Adult readers with familiarity with the TV series may find it hilarious. Readers with no familiarity—that is, just about every single kid in this book’s putative audience—will not. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11.4-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 51.5% of actual size.) A picture book for The Office–loving adults to read by themselves. (Picture book. 4-8)
Publishers Weekly (August 10, 2020)
The core dynamic of hit TV show The Office was childish behavior, so transferring the characters to an early elementary school setting should be a no-brainer. Certainly it doesn’t take a big leap of imagination to see Michael Scott, the book’s narrator, as an eager but highly disorganized line leader ("I don’t have a plan," he says, looking at the reader as a "World’s Best Line Leader" sippy cup sits on his desk), and Dwight Schrute as his overly ambitious "Assistant to the Line Leader." The rest of the cast is here, too, drawn by Demmer (A Place for Pluto) in a wide-eyed cartoon style with just enough distinctive features to recall the cast of the American series. Pearlman (Pink Is for Boys) layers in the interesting idea that Michael’s line anxieties aren’t wholly unwarranted-there are a lot of ways to organize a line, which could inspire some lively discussion and even fun classroom activities. But the repackaging stumbles with bland jokes ("That’s what she said") and in its portrayal of Toby, whose exclusion and bullying by others-played for rueful laughs in the television series-is downright mean here. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Rubin and Salmieri (Those Darn Squirrels!) are two of the weirdest, funniest guys working in kids' lit today. The team lets its geek flag fly in an obsessive how-to guide for would-be dragon taco party hosts. Why a taco party? As Rubin explains, "The only things dragons love more than parties or tacos, is taco parties." If further proof is required, Salmieri-whose poker-faced watercolor, gouache, and color pencil drawings set a benchmark for oddball observational humor-shows one odd, scaly creature with a carryout bag from "Taco Cave" and another beaming with anticipation as it eagerly circles the date for a taco party on its taco-themed calendar. But beware: even if all the tips and rules are followed to the letter (on quantity: "The best way to judge is to get a boat and fill the boat with tacos"), all will be for naught if spicy salsa makes its way into the taco filling. In fact, the dragons will bring a whole new meaning to "housewarming." Off-kilter fun for those who like their picture books (and salsa) zesty and fresh. Ages 3-5. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
PreS-Gr 2-The goofy creators of Those Darn Squirrels! (2008) and Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door (2010, both Clarion) are back with another wacky story. Given the cover image of a red dragon gorging itself on tacos and the taco-filled endpapers, readers are prepared for the sheer silliness of this offering. A bemused young dragon fan and his dog are given the inside scoop on the best way to entertain dragons-with a taco party. A helpful narrator offers the boy advice about planning the festivities, informing him that dragons love tacos-beef tacos, chicken tacos, gigantic tacos, and tiny tacos. But those preparing to host these parties are cautioned to keep any kind of spicy salsa off the menu or suffer the consequences. After filling his house with tacos, getting rid of the salsa, and letting the party begin, the host is sure he's properly prepared, but he's missed the jalapenos peppers listed in the fine print of the "Totally Mild Salsa." Uh, oh! The watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil cartoon illustrations are the real stars here, extending the frivolous text. Regardless of, or perhaps because of, the absurdity of the story, this tale should be a big hit with anyone with an affinity for dragons.-Sharon Grover, Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, WI (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Reviews (April 15, 2021)
From an artist, poet, and Instagram celebrity, a pep talk for all who question where a new road might lead. Opening by asking readers, “Have you ever wanted to go in a different direction,” the unnamed narrator describes having such a feeling and then witnessing the appearance of a new road “almost as if it were magic.” “Where do you lead?” the narrator asks. The Road’s twice-iterated response—“Be a leader and find out”—bookends a dialogue in which a traveler’s anxieties are answered by platitudes. “What if I fall?” worries the narrator in a stylized, faux hand-lettered type Wade’s Instagram followers will recognize. The Road’s dialogue and the narration are set in a chunky, sans-serif type with no quotation marks, so the one flows into the other confusingly. “Everyone falls at some point, said the Road. / But I will always be there when you land.” Narrator: “What if the world around us is filled with hate?” Road: “Lead it to love.” Narrator: “What if I feel stuck?” Road: “Keep going.” De Moyencourt illustrates this colloquy with luminous scenes of a small, brown-skinned child, face turned away from viewers so all they see is a mop of blond curls. The child steps into an urban mural, walks along a winding country road through broad rural landscapes and scary woods, climbs a rugged metaphorical mountain, then comes to stand at last, Little Prince–like, on a tiny blue and green planet. Wade’s closing claim that her message isn’t meant just for children is likely superfluous…in fact, forget the just. Inspiration, shrink wrapped. (Picture book. 6-8, adult)
Publishers Weekly (April 19, 2021)
The road is not only a metaphor for life’s journey in this meditative picture book but also a supportive and wise friend accompanying readers on their individual paths. A young narrator wonders if there is "something more... something just.../ different" before happening upon a new road and asking where it leads. The road responds, "Be a leader and find out." Thus begins a conversation between the two that results in encouraging, confident answers to questions such as, "What if I get lost?" "What if I get lonely?" and "What if the world around us is filled with hate?" Alongside de Moyencourt’s vividly colored, bucolic scenes of the natural world, accessible language and a heartfelt tone make this a meta guide for a broad range of readers finding their way to their future. Ages 6-10. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Pearlmann, R. (2020). The office: a day at Dunder Mifflin Elementary. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers.
Overview
Michael Scott is line leader at Dunder Mifflin Elementary. It's a very big job, but Michael is sure he can live up to the 'World's Best Line Leader' title printed on his water bottle. There's just one problem, Michael doesn't know how to lead the line.
Evaluation
The illustrations are wonderful and kid friendly. The author does not include sarcasm or mean attitudes. The book has funny parts and learning aspects as well while including the iconic aspects of The Office. While the author use the office setting, it also teaches how to work through situations.
An earnest but incompetent kid strives to bring order to his elementary school classroom in this picture-book companion to the TV show The Office. When Michael Scott is appointed class Line Leader at Dunder Mifflin Elementary, he has his mom fashion him a sippy cup that reads “World’s Best Line Leader.” A kid named Dwight observes the chaos in the classroom—which is mystifyingly devoid of adults for the entire book—and tells Michael he might need some help. Other kids agree. Accepting Dwight as Assistant to the Line Leader, Michael proceeds to tell Angela to plan a party to be held in five minutes’ time and then struggles to fulfill his function by lining the kids up. Several pages of ineffectual lining-up later, Pam suggests Michael ask for help. A brainstorming session yields several ideas, including “beet harvesting,…pretzel toppings, cuteness, [and the] buddy system.” As Michael surveys his classmates happily eating cake, he concludes, “I lead a great class.” In Demmer’s cartoon illustrations, all the kids have a bobblehead look, with wide, staring eyes; most, including Michael, present White. Periodically the narrative stops to allow one or two students to break the fourth wall and comment on the action in some fashion. These interruptions are in keeping with the TV show’s formula but do not provide enough scaffolding to allow child readers to understand what’s going on; nonsensical dialogue (“A mistake plus Keleven equals seven!”) likewise excludes children from the joke. Adult readers with familiarity with the TV series may find it hilarious. Readers with no familiarity—that is, just about every single kid in this book’s putative audience—will not. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11.4-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 51.5% of actual size.) A picture book for The Office–loving adults to read by themselves. (Picture book. 4-8)
Publishers Weekly (August 10, 2020)
The core dynamic of hit TV show The Office was childish behavior, so transferring the characters to an early elementary school setting should be a no-brainer. Certainly it doesn’t take a big leap of imagination to see Michael Scott, the book’s narrator, as an eager but highly disorganized line leader ("I don’t have a plan," he says, looking at the reader as a "World’s Best Line Leader" sippy cup sits on his desk), and Dwight Schrute as his overly ambitious "Assistant to the Line Leader." The rest of the cast is here, too, drawn by Demmer (A Place for Pluto) in a wide-eyed cartoon style with just enough distinctive features to recall the cast of the American series. Pearlman (Pink Is for Boys) layers in the interesting idea that Michael’s line anxieties aren’t wholly unwarranted-there are a lot of ways to organize a line, which could inspire some lively discussion and even fun classroom activities. But the repackaging stumbles with bland jokes ("That’s what she said") and in its portrayal of Toby, whose exclusion and bullying by others-played for rueful laughs in the television series-is downright mean here. Ages 4-8. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Other Books Written by Robb Pearlman
Pink is for boys
Groundhog's Day Off
Bob Ross and Peapod the Squirrel
Rubin, A. (2012). Dragons love tacos. Dial Books for Young Readers.
Overview
Explores the love dragons have for tacos, and the dangers of feeding them anything with spicy salsa.
Evaluation
The book jacket and cover are the same with the inside covers with tacos. The inside book jackets tell you what you need in order to host a party and ingredients on making your own book that resembles Dragons Loves Tacos. The story is hilarious and illustrations sweep you into a world filled with dragons who love tacos. With this text, students can practice making predictions, cause and effect, making connections, and author's purpose.
Publishers Weekly (April 9, 2012)
Rubin and Salmieri (Those Darn Squirrels!) are two of the weirdest, funniest guys working in kids' lit today. The team lets its geek flag fly in an obsessive how-to guide for would-be dragon taco party hosts. Why a taco party? As Rubin explains, "The only things dragons love more than parties or tacos, is taco parties." If further proof is required, Salmieri-whose poker-faced watercolor, gouache, and color pencil drawings set a benchmark for oddball observational humor-shows one odd, scaly creature with a carryout bag from "Taco Cave" and another beaming with anticipation as it eagerly circles the date for a taco party on its taco-themed calendar. But beware: even if all the tips and rules are followed to the letter (on quantity: "The best way to judge is to get a boat and fill the boat with tacos"), all will be for naught if spicy salsa makes its way into the taco filling. In fact, the dragons will bring a whole new meaning to "housewarming." Off-kilter fun for those who like their picture books (and salsa) zesty and fresh. Ages 3-5. Agent: Rebecca Sherman, Writers House. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal (June 1, 2012)
PreS-Gr 2-The goofy creators of Those Darn Squirrels! (2008) and Those Darn Squirrels and the Cat Next Door (2010, both Clarion) are back with another wacky story. Given the cover image of a red dragon gorging itself on tacos and the taco-filled endpapers, readers are prepared for the sheer silliness of this offering. A bemused young dragon fan and his dog are given the inside scoop on the best way to entertain dragons-with a taco party. A helpful narrator offers the boy advice about planning the festivities, informing him that dragons love tacos-beef tacos, chicken tacos, gigantic tacos, and tiny tacos. But those preparing to host these parties are cautioned to keep any kind of spicy salsa off the menu or suffer the consequences. After filling his house with tacos, getting rid of the salsa, and letting the party begin, the host is sure he's properly prepared, but he's missed the jalapenos peppers listed in the fine print of the "Totally Mild Salsa." Uh, oh! The watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil cartoon illustrations are the real stars here, extending the frivolous text. Regardless of, or perhaps because of, the absurdity of the story, this tale should be a big hit with anyone with an affinity for dragons.-Sharon Grover, Hedberg Public Library, Janesville, WI (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Other Books Written by Adam Rubin
Secret Pizza Party
High Five
Dragons Love Tacos 2: the Sequel
Wade, C. (2021). What the road said. Feiwel and Friends.
Overview
"Which way do I go? That is your choice to make, said the Road. But what if I go the wrong way? The Road curved a little, almost as if it was giving me a hug, and said, Do not worry. Sometimes we go the wrong way on our way to the right way".
Evaluation
The book is beautifully illustrated with double-spread layout. The book is written in a question-answer format. The book ask questions and answers them in a simple and reassuring way. Great book for children and adults who might be changing their life plans. The messages throughout the book do not come off as preachy or talking down to the reader.
Kirkus Reviews (April 15, 2021)
From an artist, poet, and Instagram celebrity, a pep talk for all who question where a new road might lead. Opening by asking readers, “Have you ever wanted to go in a different direction,” the unnamed narrator describes having such a feeling and then witnessing the appearance of a new road “almost as if it were magic.” “Where do you lead?” the narrator asks. The Road’s twice-iterated response—“Be a leader and find out”—bookends a dialogue in which a traveler’s anxieties are answered by platitudes. “What if I fall?” worries the narrator in a stylized, faux hand-lettered type Wade’s Instagram followers will recognize. The Road’s dialogue and the narration are set in a chunky, sans-serif type with no quotation marks, so the one flows into the other confusingly. “Everyone falls at some point, said the Road. / But I will always be there when you land.” Narrator: “What if the world around us is filled with hate?” Road: “Lead it to love.” Narrator: “What if I feel stuck?” Road: “Keep going.” De Moyencourt illustrates this colloquy with luminous scenes of a small, brown-skinned child, face turned away from viewers so all they see is a mop of blond curls. The child steps into an urban mural, walks along a winding country road through broad rural landscapes and scary woods, climbs a rugged metaphorical mountain, then comes to stand at last, Little Prince–like, on a tiny blue and green planet. Wade’s closing claim that her message isn’t meant just for children is likely superfluous…in fact, forget the just. Inspiration, shrink wrapped. (Picture book. 6-8, adult)
Publishers Weekly (April 19, 2021)
The road is not only a metaphor for life’s journey in this meditative picture book but also a supportive and wise friend accompanying readers on their individual paths. A young narrator wonders if there is "something more... something just.../ different" before happening upon a new road and asking where it leads. The road responds, "Be a leader and find out." Thus begins a conversation between the two that results in encouraging, confident answers to questions such as, "What if I get lost?" "What if I get lonely?" and "What if the world around us is filled with hate?" Alongside de Moyencourt’s vividly colored, bucolic scenes of the natural world, accessible language and a heartfelt tone make this a meta guide for a broad range of readers finding their way to their future. Ages 6-10. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Other Books Written by Cleo Wade
Heart Talk
Heart Talk: Poetic Wisdom for a Better Life
Where to Begin: a Small Book About Your Power to Create Big Change in Our Crazy World
No comments:
Post a Comment