Review by New York Times Review
A talking tiger, a crocodile doctor, a sad pair of socks and more in these stories to fire up a kid's imagination. LITTLE DOCTOR AND THE FEARLESS BEAST Written and illustrated by Sophie Gilmore. Little Doctor is a specialist in crocodiles, as we can see from the enormous green patients who flock to her examination room (which, shhhh, may just be a backyard office). She ministers to them with deep concentration, applying long bandages and tender, expert care - and cures them all except a toughie called Big Mean, who refuses to unclasp her jaws. There's a scary trip inside the beast's mouth, and a happy ending involving the adorable hatchlings Big Mean was of course carrying in there. With its softly detailed, virtuoso art and a perfectly wrought story full of heart and respect for the imaginative rules of children's play, this debut shines. 32 pp. Owlkids. $17.95. (Ages 4 to 8.) THINKER: MY PUPPY POET AND ME By Eloise Greenfield. Illustrated by Ehsan Abdollahi. In this charming book of linked poems - the story of a pup who speaks, but only in verse - the distinguished children's poet Green-field glides gracefully between rhyme, free verse, haiku and rap. A boy named Jace becomes the dog's owner. He names him Thinker ("I'm deep and I'm a poet," the dog warns. "A cute name's not O.K.") and the two have back-and-forth chats about life. On every page, Abdollahi's collaged illustrations bring the characters to life with a soulful flair. 32 pp. Jabberwocky/Sourcebooks. $15.99. (Ages 4 to 8.) MY PAPI HAS A MOTORCYCLE By Isabel Quintero. Illustrated by Zeke Peña. Southern California is home to almost 24 million, yet few picture books show us life there, or tell stories about its vibrant immigrant communities. This delightful book bursts into the gap: A girl named Daisy takes a spin on the back of her carpenter papi's motorcycle, greeting friends and relatives, noting historical murals and stopping at his work site. "Even in all that noise, my papi's voice touches everything," she says. There's no earthshaking story, just the sweet rumble of family love, neighborhood pride, the dignity of work and the joy of a fast ride. Yet Quintero's warm, economical text and the desert-sunset tones of Pena's comics-inflected art feel like a revelation. 32 pp. Kokila/Penguin Random House. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8.) VAMOS! LET'S GO TO THE MARKET By Raul the Third. Like "My Papi Has a Motorcycle," this book opens a welcome and welcoming door into Latino culture. Raul the Third also offers zany humor and low-key language lessons (assorted Spanish words are translated in the margins). Little Lobo, a nattily dressed wolf, makes deliveries to a marketplace of artisans, entertainers and vendors. "Everywhere people are going to work. Everyone has a different job," from puppeteer to pinata maker. With an array of interesting creatures and vignettes crammed into the illustrations, the effect is a high-spirited hybrid of Richard Scarry and Mexican comics. 48 pp. Versify/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. $14.99. (Ages 4 to 8.) SOCK STORY By CK Smouha. Illustrated by Eleonora Marton. Two socks, a pair, tumble around in the washing machine, doing tricks like "double axel triple flip" and annoying the larger items. It's all fun and games until the spin cycle, when they're separated - and one takes refuge in the pocket of a non-color-fast red shirt. Eek! Can an unmatching duo still be partners? Those raising a style-conscious child will know the answer these days is a resounding yes. Still, Smouha and Marton wring genuine suspense and edgy humor out of this clever, colorful tale. 32 pp. Cicada. $14.95. (Ages 4 to 8.) THE HIDEOUT By Susanna Mattiangeli. Illustrated by Felicita Sala. Nothing beats a secret place, and even better if, as in this enthralling story, it's hidden in a public space. Someone's calling Hannah, but she's decided to go live inside a bush in the park, wearing a feather cape, making a fire and befriending an Odd Furry Creature. Or did she just draw the whole thing? The homage here to "Where the Wild Things Are" may be subtle, but it brings a smile. 32 pp. Abrams. $16.99. (Ages 4 to 8.) POWER UP By Seth Fishman. Illustrated by Isabel Greenberg. Your pinkie, this innovative book explains, "has enough energy to light up one of the biggest cities in the world" for a day Fishman and Greenberg ("A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars") turn something kids instinctively understand - the energy in our bodies - into a lesson in biology and physics, and the real importance of food and sleep. 40 pp. Greenwillow/HarperCollins. $17.99. (Ages 4 to 8.) CAMP TIGER By Susan Choi. Illustrated by John Rocco. Summer's almost over, and the narrator of this sweetly mysterious first children's book by the literary novelist Choi is dreading the start of first grade. A family camping trip brings him face to face with a tiger - one that talks. With the tiger's help, the boy catches a fish and even, in a stunning wordless sequence, ventures into the woods at night to leap across rocks and howl at the moon. Rocco's ("Blackout") art gives an emotionally astute story even more depth. 40 pp. Putnam. $17.99. (Ages 5 to 8.) MARIA RUSSO is the children's books editor for the Book Review.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [May 12, 2019]
Review by Booklist Review
The creative team behind A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars (2017) turns from astronomical bodies to the human body. Rather than concentrate on anatomy, this informational picture book focuses on energy in the body. Still keeping a star theme, it states, You are a walking, breathing, laughing, singing SHINING STAR. The narrative follows an African American girl through exuberant, dreamlike scenes in her home, school, community, and beyond as it explains how human bodies use and require energy. While a double-page spread offers bone and muscle facts, the text becomes motivational, encouraging readers to refuel their growing and expanding minds. Through rest, exercise, eating well, making friends, reading books, and questioning the world, we give our bodies and minds the energy they need. Returning to stars, the final illustration shows the girl in the glow of a large sun, with a reminder that both light up the world. A concluding author's note explains the concept of energy in more detail. An inspirational companion to traditional health books and mindfulness activities.--Angela Leeper Copyright 2018 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-3-Fishman begins this work with an unbelievable but true statement about how there is enough energy in a person's pinkie finger to power a large city for an entire day. From there the text segues into an exploration of energy, from the stamina it takes to read a book to running, and how our bodies recharge through eating, sleeping, and exercise. At the end of the book, there is an author's note that explains how Einstein's famous equation can be used to find exactly how much energy is inside a pinkie finger. Complete with colorful digital illustrations that highlight the learning points throughout the book, this is a great introduction to human physiology that affirms just how special our bodies are. The author manages to get across the basics without bogging down the text with too much technical language, making it accessible to younger readers interested in science. VERDICT A solid, upbeat -addition to nonfiction shelves.-Jayna Ramsey, -Douglas County Libraries in Parker, CO © 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
The author-illustrator team behind A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars (rev. 1/18; a 2018 Boston GlobeHorn Book Honor Book) here takes on a topic much closer to home but no less awe-inspiring: the human body. Do you want to hear something incredible? You are a fireballa walking, breathing, laughing, singing SHINING STAR, begins this broad-strokes introduction to human physiology. Fishman explains that even just within your pinkie finger there is enough energy to light up one of the biggest cities in the world for an entire day, energy that powers all the bodys processes and that must be recharged with food, sleep, and exercise. The text presents information with clarity, humor, and, above all, wonderboth at the amazing human body and at everything it allows the child reader to do, think, learn, and discover. Greenbergs digital illustrations match the celebratory tone, portraying accomplishments big and small by children of various skin colors, with a brown-skinned girl with two puffball pigtails at the forefront. The color-saturated spreads play with pace and scale, and motifs of light and energy waves radiate from the pages. An authors note offers further explanation about how energy works. katie bircher March/April 2019 p 100(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
Math and science enthusiasts, this one's for you!Fishman and Greenberg, the author and illustrator team of A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars (2017), take readers on a journey through the amazing human body, noting that a pinkie finger "has enough energy to light up one of the biggest cities in the world for an entire day." This informational book explains how the body produces, expends, and recharges energy through such activities as eating, sleeping, and exercising. The author's note at the end focuses not on what the characters have been doing throughout the book but on Einstein's equation E=mc2. In child-friendly language, the note explains what an equation is, how Einstein used this one to solve tough problems, and how all of this relates to the body's energy. While this book could effectively be used in school lessons about energy, kids likely study Einstein's equation much later in school than this book's target audience. Greenberg's multicultural cast of characters models different aspects of the body's use of energy, the primary character being a black girl with her hair in two puffballs. While most of the characters have strangely angular features, the stark color contrasts and interesting facts will keep readers engaged. Parents and kids alike will appreciate the book's exhortation to stay curious.A fresh, scientific look at one aspect of the incredible human body. (Informational picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
