The word "parent" is not just a noun. It's also a verb.
Winner of the English Pen Award (New & Exciting Literature into English) and part of Tiny Owl Publishing’s Hope in a Scary World series, Felix After the Rainbow, takes on a tough subject, dealing with the death of a loved one, and distills it to its most basic essence: dealing with the baggage left behind. This achingly beautiful book vividly illustrates how a child doesn’t cope, and does, and succeeds.
Which one is the real mother/father? A question often asked of samesex couples and their children when they are out in public? Sometimes the question is meant to provoke embarrassment; sometimes the question the question comes from curiosity; sometimes the question comes from fear. Regardless of how it arises, it’s a question the couple, and their child(ren) inevitably face.
There are numerous collections of Aesop’s fables on the market. Indeed, the stories are in the public domain, so a collection would have to be pretty special to warrant a good review. It would have to be extra special to warrant a purchase. Well, The Fabled Life of Aesop threads the needle beautifully, and I mean beautifully; using golden thread, illustrations and prose.
I’ve seen the book advertised as “[a] modern take on Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree that celebrates the friendship between a curious child and her favorite tree.” If that was the aim of the book, I don’t think it quite hits its mark; at least not in this translation.
Eventually, Cedric grew and became a Knight in his own right. You know what comes next. He rescues a Kingdom from a dragon. And, a princess offers to marry him. So far, we have our average fairytale. Here’s where average stop. Cedric, would rather marry her brother the Prince.
Anu discovers the mantra OM and meditation through her relationship with Appuppa (maternal grandfather). She learns about her heritage (Indian-African) and the interconnectivity of the world around her.
No. Just no. The premise of the idea: that every color is suitable for every person, is wonderful! Yes! This is exactly what we want to be teaching from the earliest age possible. Colors are, in fact, genderless. However (and I mean however in the strongest possible form of BUT possible), one actually has to carry through on a plan.
Moreover, although Cordell has handsomely captured the feel of the Mister Rogers brand (yes, brand) he has not captured the Rogers spirit. At times the pages suffer from “too much going on,” perhaps an attempt to compress a life well-lived into 40 pages.
Oftentimes, I find myself in a classroom of English Learners having to explain how many different sounds the letter “A” can make in the English language. I see their eyes roll into the back of their heads, I’m left to explain: “there is no rule, it’s just English.” This book, ostensibly a children’s book, can teach everyone a thing or two.