Henry has always been a bit different from the other kids.
He can multiply numbers in his head at warp speed, only refers to plants by their scientific names, is prone to sensory overload, and often misses social cues. His peers sometimes find his behavior frustrating, and when some thoughtless older kids brand him as “weird,” he feels crushed: “Nobody understands me. No one! I'm tired of being a kid.” Henry finds solace in nature, so when his class takes a field trip to the Botanical Garden—one of his favorite haunts—he’s really in his element. The tour guide, Ms. Rose, lets Henry introduce the plants to his classmates, who are impressed by, and grateful for, his knowledge of the vegetable kingdom. Afterward, everyone claps as the teacher presents Henry with a Trifolium repens (ahem, a four-leaf clover) for doing a great job. Deslauriers’ sensitive and revealing first-person narrative invites readers into the mind and emotions of a child on the autism spectrum. Despite his challenges, Henry is active, makes friends, and contributes positively at school. Després’ softly muted watercolor, gouache, and charcoal illustrations capture the confusion and sadness Henry feels as he navigates an environment he sometimes doesn’t understand as well as his happier moments and endearing qualities. Young readers who haven’t yet learned about autism may struggle to understand Henry’s behavior, particularly given the absence of educational backmatter—a missed opportunity in an otherwise lovely book.
A skillful and sympathetic portrayal of neurodivergent children, but context is lacking. (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4598-3083-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
Categories: CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.
A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.
The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
Categories: CHILDREN'S SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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