A family grieving their child’s loss finds peace.
A family in St. Paul, Minnesota, suffered the wrenching loss of their older daughter seven months previously, when she accidentally drowned at a public swimming area. Ever since, quiet has settled over the household. The family struggles to cope: The parents find solace in the girl’s bedroom, imbibing their daughter’s lingering scent. Occasionally, the family watches videos of the girl. Then the mother asks her older son, who shares his younger brother’s bedroom, if he wants for himself his deceased sister’s room. He does but is confused about where he will sleep and store his belongings. With fresh bed linens and his sister’s clothes removed, the boy readily falls asleep in his new surroundings. The family feels comforted, an ending that is rushed and unconvincing. This story about a child’s death is understandably sobering but is also coolly distancing except for a painful scene in which the older son expresses pent-up emotions and sobs; the accompanying illustration is heart-rending. The narrative is written sparingly, with concrete details lending specificity. Apart from the aforementioned artwork, the delicate illustrations are serviceable and static. This Hmong-authored and -illustrated book places at its center a Hmong American family, giving children in an underrepresented community a valuable mirror. At the same time, both text and illustrations leave room for readers from many backgrounds to find themselves in the story.
Comforting for readers who have suffered the tragic death of a sibling or young friend. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 9, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5179-0794-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Univ. of Minnesota
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2020
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
Gerald the elephant learns a truth familiar to every preschooler—heck, every human: “Waiting is not easy!”
When Piggie cartwheels up to Gerald announcing that she has a surprise for him, Gerald is less than pleased to learn that the “surprise is a surprise.” Gerald pumps Piggie for information (it’s big, it’s pretty, and they can share it), but Piggie holds fast on this basic principle: Gerald will have to wait. Gerald lets out an almighty “GROAN!” Variations on this basic exchange occur throughout the day; Gerald pleads, Piggie insists they must wait; Gerald groans. As the day turns to twilight (signaled by the backgrounds that darken from mauve to gray to charcoal), Gerald gets grumpy. “WE HAVE WASTED THE WHOLE DAY!…And for WHAT!?” Piggie then gestures up to the Milky Way, which an awed Gerald acknowledges “was worth the wait.” Willems relies even more than usual on the slightest of changes in posture, layout and typography, as two waiting figures can’t help but be pretty static. At one point, Piggie assumes the lotus position, infuriating Gerald. Most amusingly, Gerald’s elephantine groans assume weighty physicality in spread-filling speech bubbles that knock Piggie to the ground. And the spectacular, photo-collaged images of the Milky Way that dwarf the two friends makes it clear that it was indeed worth the wait.
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends . (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9957-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Nov. 5, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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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)Pub Date: March 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-26949-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 8, 2021
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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