Skip this in favor of some chicken soup.
The guitarist and organist for the Zac Brown Band outlines what to do and not do when you are feeling sick.
The advice runs the gamut from the humorous to truisms and upbeat platitudes, with a fair amount of silliness that has nothing to do with illness. Yes, chicken soup is meant for your mouth, not to be dumped on your head, and it’s possible purple elephants might just eat all your food if you invite them for lunch. But even wading through the foolishness, there’s not much to this. Simply saying something, for instance, doesn’t make it so: “Don’t be afraid of needles or your nurse. / She’s not a wicked witch with a broom and curse.” The author recommends two things to start feeling better and get rid of the germs: a silly face that involves sticking your fingers in your mouth (a sure way to share the illness) and a rhyming Sickness Song. But no matter what doctors or nurses do, no matter what silly faces one makes or rhyme one recites, there are some illnesses that won’t get better, and Bowles’ closing overlooks this fact: “Whatever you do, you must stay strong. / You might be sick now but you won’t be for long. / You’ll be running and swimming and swinging / And playing and dancing and you’ll feel just fine. / Don’t you worry one little bit, it’s just a matter of time.” The seemingly digital illustrations are brightly colored and show a wide array of diversity in gender and race and ability.
Skip this in favor of some chicken soup. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 10, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-55286-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2016
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
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
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