A joyous and inclusive primer on how communities can unite to welcome newcomers.
A lost mandarin duck is welcomed to the neighborhood as its residents celebrate culture and community on May Day.
On their way to attend the May Day Parade, Hoa and Hue discover a lost mandarin duck in the park. As they try to lead it to the pond they encounter many of their friends, who greet the duck in different languages. From the unfazed faces of the characters to the consistent typeface, color, and font, these multilingual introductions are presented with a sense of normalcy and affirmation. Hoa and Hue greet the duck speaking Vietnamese, and their friends variously offer greetings in Dakota, Tamil, Somali, Cambodian, and Russian, among others. The bright and cheery cartoon illustrations capture the exuberance and vibrant energy surrounding the day’s events. Background images incorporate the social activism associated with the real-life parade in Minneapolis on which the book’s event is based. Readers will spot signs emblazoned “Black Lives Matter,” “Say No to Homophobia,” and “No DAPL” (referring to the Dakota Access Pipeline) as well as a banner saying “End Deportation.” A brief scene acknowledges the fear and uncertainty caused by a surprise appearance from the police. Hoa and Hue are cued as Vietnamese, and the rest of the characters are depicted in a variety of skin tones and hair colors.
A joyous and inclusive primer on how communities can unite to welcome newcomers. (author's note, glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-6844-6256-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Capstone Editions
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
Funny and thought provoking.
The hidden history of one of the world’s most popular pieces of furniture.
An anthropomorphized fox in a purple jacket and green pants stands on a stage, showcasing various kinds of sofas and what they’re used for: eating, sleeping, dance parties, and sliding down pillows. Just as the fox is about to provide a demonstration of that last activity, complete with a drawing, an opossum in a gray pinstriped suit emerges: “You can’t show that to children! Someone could break their neck!” Using a tape dispenser–like machine, the opossum covers up the offending image with a black censor bar. The fox continues to expose “truths” about couches: Some of them grow on farms (“Where do you think we got the term couch potato?”); they have an insatiable hunger, which leads to objects disappearing among the cushions; and some are actually aliens in disguise. The opossum is skeptical, but when a chaotic parade of couches enter the scene to prove the fox right, the opossum is forced to reconsider. This is a hilarious send-up of conspiracy theories and adults’ attempts to shelter children from the real world. Depicting elegantly attired creatures, Liniers’ muted artwork contrasts humorously with the surreal scenarios depicted. The dialogue between the fox and opossum is entertaining, but grown-ups might want to pre-read before read-alouds to avoid tripping over some phrasing (e.g., “secret elite couch enforcement squadron”).
Funny and thought provoking. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593619131
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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