PICTURE BOOK REVIEWS: Flight School/My Grandma and Me/Looking for Yesterday
Source: Publisher for review
ABOUT THE BOOK
Although little Penguin has the soul of an eagle, his body wasn’t built to soar. But Penguin has an irrepressible spirit, and he adamantly follows his dreams to flip, flap, fly! Even if he needs a little help with the technical parts, this penguin is ready to live on the wind.
REVIEW
As the board book version of the picture book, Flight School tells the story of Penguin who desperately wants to fly. As a board book, it was clearly shortened, but it still works. Penguin wants to fly and at first the flight instructors aren't certain what to do with him. Finally they decide to give him a chance. To no one's surprise (except Penguin's), he is unable to fly like the other birds. His sadness as he starts to leave inspires the instructors to come up with a rather unorthodox solution. Penguin is impossible not to like with his enthusiasm and belief. I also liked the teacher's creativity in helping Penguin achieve his dreams, even if it wasn't exactly traditional. The ending is funny as Penguin presents his instructors with another challenge, one they may not be able to meet. Lita Judge has created a winner of a book with great themes, great characters, and delightful illustrations.
ABOUT THE BOOK
While Mina is growing up in Iran, the center of her world is her grandmother. Whether visiting friends next door, going to the mosque for midnight prayers during Ramadan, or taking an imaginary trip around the planets, Mina and her grandma are never far apart. At once deeply personal and utterly universal, Mina Javaherbin's words make up a love letter of the rarest sort: the kind that shares a bit of its warmth with every reader. Soft, colorful, and full of intricate patterns, Lindsey Yankey's illustrations feel like a personal invitation into the coziest home, and the adoration between Mina and her grandma is evident on every page.
REVIEW
In this beautiful book, Javaherbin tells the sweet story of her relationship with her grandma when she was a child. Since her grandma lived with her family, the two spent a lot of time together. The story takes place in Iran giving the tale a multicultural flavor. But it's the tender relationship between a loving, kind grandma and her granddaughter that really shines here. Together they pray (or rather grandma prays and granddaughter climbs on her back), shop, visit the neighbors (a friend for grandma and a friend for her) are among the activities the two enjoy together. I had to laugh when I read about how she used her grandma's chadors (Islamic religious covering) to build a rocket ship or pretend to be a super-astro-explorer. The illustrations are exquisite, beautifully highlighting the interactions between the two characters. A work of art from beginning to end and a book that highlights a familiar relationship within a perhaps unfamiliar culture. Note : there are some religious elements in the story as the grandma is a devout Muslim and eventually takes the child to the mosque to celebrate Ramadan. I also appreciated how the story shows a cross-religion friendship.
ABOUT THE BOOK
How can tomorrow ever be as good as yesterday? Boy doesn't think it can be and puts all his scientific knowledge to use, trying to work out how to go faster than the speed of light and make time go backwards. His grandad discovers him exploring the garden looking for wormholes, a possible shortcut back to yesterday - and reassures him that tomorrow will hold great experiences, which will become new treasured memories.
REVIEW
How many of us haven't mourned directly or indirectly when a wonderful, enjoyable day comes to a close? How many of us haven't wished that it didn't have to end or that we could go back and experience it all again? That's what happens in this story of a boy who desperately wants to go back to yesterday. So much so that he tries to build a time travel device. This doesn't work of course, so he turns to his grandfather for help. His grandfather shares some of his past wonderful memories and then gently leads his grandson to understand that while one can't go back, there are always new adventures to look forward to tomorrow and happiness to be found today. They then set off to create new memories. I loved the theme of the book and the tender relationship between the grandfather and his grandson. Some of the illustrations, while beautiful, were more abstract than I prefer (rivers of lemonade, ice cream towers eaten by dinosaurs, etc.). But the book is a beautiful one with a rather universal theme that most people can relate to.
These all look like wonderful books. Thanks for sharing. Congrats to all authors and illustrators!
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