by Jerdine Nolen ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 1999
PLB 0-688-12761-4 These brief episodes from a mother’s kitchen showcase Nolen’s enticing prose and her inclusive world. A young African-American girl narrates a handful of stories that broadcast harmony, affection, the timelessness of childhood, the memories of those no longer children, and a penchant for hope and good fortune. These are tales plucked from the everyday: her mother’s sisters gathering for their weekly gabfest and soup production (“Even the African violets are blooming, just like my aunts”), the wedding arranged for the cat and the doll, her father whipping up his inedible corn pudding (“Watching Daddy make the corn pudding is a lot better than actually eating it”), the blessings of cooking in Momma’s mother’s old stove, the announcement of her sister’s scholarship. Although these events could have filled out a short-story collection, Nolen keeps her narration trim, relaying the incidents in an eager, celebratory voice. Bootman fills his handsome illustrations with smiles all around; this is a happy place and no one will deny its obvious joy. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-688-12760-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1999
Categories: CHILDREN'S FAMILY
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by Tiffany Haddish & Jerdine Nolen ; illustrated by Jessica Gibson
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by Jerdine Nolen ; illustrated by James E. Ransome
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by Carol Diggory Shields & illustrated by Hiroe Nakata ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2000
Anticipating the visit of a favorite person is half the fun. Planning all the things he likes to do, the narrator of this celebration of childhood, includes telling knock-knock jokes, visiting a construction site, picking up lucky pennies, drinking hot chocolate, cooking, eating and cleaning up together, and just having a good time. What the narrator doesn’t like is putting on scratchy dress-up clothes, eating “funny-looking food,” or watching movies that are too “kissy.” Shields (Martian Rock, 1999, etc.) tells the story from the narrator’s point of view and then delivers a punchy surprise ending for this absolutely charming tale of grandfather and grandson. Nakata’s gentle watercolors for her first picture-book illustrations are alive with color, movement, and humor. They support and extend the text with funny little bits that provoke a grin and a chuckle. The love this grandfather and grandchild have for each other fills every page. A good read-aloud selection for the younger crowd and a nice addition to grandparents’ collections of books to share. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-525-46450-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dutton
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2000
Categories: CHILDREN'S FAMILY
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by Carol Diggory Shields ; illustrated by Paul Meisel
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by Carol Diggory Shields ; illustrated by Lauren Tobia
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by M.C. Helldorfer ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1999
The hazy hot summer seems interminable for a young African-American boy and his pregnant mother. “Can’t cool down!” is the refrain that reverberates throughout the tale, and it’s literally true; lack of rain has put the city on a water conservation alert and the mother worries about all her flowers. Instead of despairing, mother and child surreptitiously water the plants using kitchen pots under the cloak of darkness; the theme of personal resilience and coping permeates the tale. A cooling, life-giving rain heralds the onset of the mother’s labor and the arrival of a new baby sister, Silver Rain Brown. The special bond between mother and son is readily apparent in Flavin’s full-page, full-color illustrations. As for the father, there is only one reference for readers to interpret: “Four a.m. and I can’t sleep, wishing Daddy would come back, wishing, wishing it would rain.” Helldorfer deftly captures the heavy oppressiveness of a summer heat wave, from children attempting to fry eggs on the sidewalk to short tempers and sleeping the hot days away, while Flavin’s illustrations artfully reflect the shimmering cityscapes. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-73093-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 1999
Categories: CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
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by M.C. Helldorfer & illustrated by Hiroe Nakata
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