Review by New York Times Review
Great picture books can teach kids things - sometimes things they thought they knew already 32 pp. First Second. $17.99. (Ages 2 to 6) VROOM! Written and illustrated by Barbara McClintock A girl and her racecar are at the center of this satisfying book, gorgeously illustrated as always by McClintock ("Adele & Simon"). "It was a fine evening for a drive," so our heroine zooms right out her window, bushy red hair streaming out of her helmet. She goes through mountains, a desert, a forest and a city, ending up back at her own house, where she settles in for story time with Dad (a book called "Cars," of course). The tone is marvelously matter of fact, about both the girl's feats of driving and her automotive passion. 32 pp. Farrar, Straus & Giroux. $17.99. (Ages 3 to 7) HOLD HANDS Written and illustrated by Sara Varon Varon's singular visual style - bright, friendly and completely zany - and her deft, economical writing make this simple ode to holding hands burst with originality and charm. The book's goggle-eyed creatures are identifiable as rabbits, elephants, ducks and so on, but they wear clothes, ride the bus, go to play dates and day care. All the while they demonstrate the many uses of hand-holding: helping when you're scared, keeping you safe when you cross the street, showing your mom you love her. This world is funny and askew enough to grab and hold a toddler or preschooler's interest, and orderly and reassuring enough to make that same kid feel protected and cared for. WHEN SADNESS IS AT YOUR DOOR Written and illustrated by Eva Eland "Sometimes sadness arrives unexpectedly," this wise, spare book announces. Eland draws sadness as a pale blue blob, rather gentle looking, that shadows a little girl. Lots of white space on each page keeps the mood soothing and thoughtful as the girl tries to figure out what to do. Hiding it doesn't work, but she soon sees sadness as nothing to be afraid of - sadness can't help itself, and means no harm. There's lots of useful advice for sad days: going for a walk through the trees, or just sitting quietly together. Best of all, there's the calm reminder that tomorrow, "when you wake up it might be gone." 32 pp. Random Flouse. $17.99. (Ages 3 to 7) MONTY AND THE POODLES Written and illustrated by Katie Harnett As any owner of a beloved, breed-indeterminate rescue mutt knows, dogs can be a good entree into stories about inequality and prejudice. In this beguilingly written and illustrated tale, Monty is a scraggly blackand-white street creature who stumbles upon some poodles living in luxury at Poodle Mansions. Friendship ensues, against the wishes of the snooty Miss Lillabet. Monty gets a blowout and passes as a poodle, but that just feels wrong. So justice and friendship prevail: The pooches turn an old movie theater into a place where "everyone was welcome." 40 pp. Flying Eye. $17.95. (Ages 4 to 8) HOME IS A WINDOW By Stephanie Parsley Ledyard. Illustrated by Chris Sasaki. Halfway through this tribute to all that makes a place home, like "a table with something good and the people gathered there," it becomes clear that the family in its pages is moving to a new house. New definitions for home follow - "the shirt that smells like your old room" - as we see the family singing in the car, and eating takeout picnic-style at their new place. Ledyard's ("Pie Is for Sharing") words hit every right note; Sasaki's illustrations are earthy and enchanting. 32 pp. Neal Porter/Holiday House. $18.99. (Ages 4 to 8) YOU ARE HOME: AN ODE TO THE NATIONAL PARKS Written and illustrated by Evan Turk Invoking herds of elk and forests of aspen as well as a kid living in a city, Turk captures the grandness of the very idea of our national parks. With bold, freewheeling painting and equally bold, concise poetry, plus informational pages, he has made a book as majestic and inclusive as its subject. 56 pp. Atheneum. $18.99. (Ages 4 and up) LITTLE TACO TRUCK By Tanya Valentine. Illustrated by Jorge Martin. It's about time food trucks took their rightful places in the pantheon of picture-book vehicles. In this whimsically illustrated story an innocent taco truck is dismayed to find there's competition for his usual spot: a falafel truck, oblivious to her trespass! Rest assured, Valentine's story is about making space for everyone, even if it's a bit of a squeeze, and enjoying all the goodness the world has to offer. 32 pp. Schwartz & Wade. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8) HOW TO READ A BOOK By Kwame Alexander. Illustrated by Melissa Sweet. Alexander's lush poem captures and pays tribute to the sensual pleasures of reading: finding the right comfortable spot, opening your book "like you would a clementine," savoring the beauty and richness of its words. Sweet's colorful multilayered collages and artful lettering do justice to the message, inviting readers of all ages to linger in these lovely pages. "Don't rush through," Alexander reminds us. "Your eyes need time to taste. Your soul needs room to bloom." 32 pp. HarperCollins. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8) MARIA RUSSO is the children's books editor of the Book Review.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [June 23, 2019]
Review by Booklist Review
In intimate, direct-address prose and uncomplicated sepia line illustrations with a muted palette, this picture book represents sadness as a large, blue-hued amorphous figure that appears in a child's life: Sometimes, Sadness arrives unexpectedly. No reason is given; it's just at the door, carrying a suitcase. But by externalizing sadness and giving it presence here, more soft and expressive than intimidating Eland portrays the many ways it can feel, from sitting so close to you, you can hardly breathe to like you've become Sadness yourself, accompanied by an image of the child overlaid by the translucent Sadness, while other children play nearby. Also, however, she invites readers to look at sadness with new perspective and offers potential coping strategies. Eventually, just as unpredictably, it might be gone . . . today is a new day. While its blend of literal and metaphorical may be esoteric for some younger ones, this ultimately explores a complex feeling with support and nonjudgmental compassion, while offering an affirming way to understand, discuss, and view sadness that children and their adults may find helpful.--Shelle Rosenfeld Copyright 2019 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In a deeply sensitive story, Eland personifies Sadness as a pearshaped, mint green-colored character. The "you" in the story is a quiet child rendered in simple lines. Sadness is the child's constant companion, but after communicating with Sadness ("Listen to it. Ask where it comes from and what it needs."), the figure no longer seems like a burden. The two take a walk in the forest, listening together to the sounds of trees, and exchange a warm hug. At last, the child wakes to Sadness gone: "Don't worry-today is a new day." Sadness, Eland expresses, need not always feel like an intrusive guest-rather, it's one whose arrival warrants attention, reflection, and care. Ages 3-7. (Jan.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-This gentle book portrays sadness as a large pale green visitor that appears at the door, suitcase in hand. "It follows you around.and sits so close to you, you can hardly breathe." The narrator advises the host-a small child-not to hide his sadness or be afraid. "Listen to it. Ask where it comes from and what it needs. If you don't understand each other, just sit together and be quiet for a while." Then, try doing something comforting together like drawing, listening to music, or drinking cocoa. And, just as it came, unexpectedly, one day it will be gone. By focusing on the feeling, rather than the circumstance, the book speaks to readers of all ages and backgrounds. The portrayal of the feeling as so much larger than the boy helps convey the overwhelming nature of the emotion. The front endpapers show people of different ages in sad, thoughtful poses with the green creature interspersed-laying down, crying, staring at the ground, etc. The back endpapers show "sadness" doing yoga, petting a cat, taking a bath, eating an ice cream, getting a hug.finding comfort where it can. The handwritten text and illustrative sketches are rendered in brown on cream paper with pale red and green accents. VERDICT This quiet book is both constructive and reassuring and recommended for any collection with a bibliotherapy section.-Barbara Auerbach, Cairo Public Library, NY © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
On clean creamy pages, a child faces Sadness, pictured as a blue-green, somewhat shapeless character looming large and too close. The narrator offers the reader practical advice on how to handle this unwelcome visitor, including listening to Sadness and naming it. The simple three-color illustrations, with their curved lines and hand-lettered text, are as calming and hopeful as the words. (c) Copyright 2019. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Many books for young readers tackle terrible tantrums, but few address sadness that surfaces perhaps for no reason at all; this gives that muted malaise a shape, an identity, and love.A child tentatively opens the door and finds Sadness, a towering, amorphous, pale teal figure, waiting on the other side. It has arm and leg stumps but no neck or waist. Text set in a type that emulates handwriting tells children what they already know: "Sometimes Sadness arrives unexpectedly." The playful interplay between the literal and the figurative makes engaging a tough topic pleasurable. In casting melancholy not as an enemy but as a sometime companion, this powerful picture book inspires empathy and action. The hand-drawn illustrations' extremely limited, three-color palette (a washed-out blue for Sadness' ghostly, blobby body, subdued circles of pink on the child's cheeks, and chocolate brown for the lines that etch their world) similarly channels depression in its constriction of color. The ungendered, light-skinned child trudges alongside Sadness with slumped shoulders as they enact the sound, practical coping tactics introduced by the narrative voice. "Try not to be afraid of Sadness. Give it a name.Find something that you both enjoy, like drawing." Front endpapers show depressed people ignoring their sadnesses, while back endpapers show these same characters interacting with them and feeling better.Children will feel better, too, knowing they have a helpful, honest, and empathetic picture book ready for the next time Sadness shows up for a visit. (Picture book. 4-10) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
