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THE YAWN HEARD ’ROUND THE WORLD

Name: THE YAWN HEARD ’ROUND THE WORLD
Author: Scott Thomas
ISBN: 1-58246-051-5

by Scott Thomas & illustrated by Tatjana Mai-Wyss ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2003

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In a joint debut for both Thomas and Mai-Wyss, the unusual subject of the highly contagious nature of a yawn is combined with a whirlwind tour to create an amusing story that works despite the unlikely premise and a sing-songy rhyming text. A little girl named Sara doesn’t want to go to bed, although she is sleepy enough for one huge yawn that starts off a chain reaction. The yawn moves on to her mother, her dog, her father, her Aunt Lucy in Cuba and then on to the world. The yawn travels on to Paris in a funny scene with a yawning Eiffel Tower, and then to Africa, up in space, over China, Russia, and the Pacific Ocean, and on to South America. The yawns blow back into Sara’s neighborhood, with two tiny yawning birds perched on a fold-out flap of Sara’s pink house. Mai-Wyss uses her charming watercolors to great effect, illustrating some difficult concepts. Globally minded teachers and parents will enjoy helping children find the story’s locations on a globe or world map. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: April 1, 2003

ISBN: 1-58246-051-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tricycle

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2003

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

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WHERE ARE YOUR SHOES, MR. BROWN?

by Justin Rhodes ; illustrated by Heather Dickinson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2023

Pedestrian.

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Mr. Brown can’t help with farm chores because his shoes are missing—a common occurrence in his household and likely in many readers’ as well.

Children will be delighted that the titular Mr. Brown is in fact a child. After Mr. Brown looks in his closet and sorts through his other family members’ shoes with no luck, his father and his siblings help him search the farm. Eventually—after colorful pages that enable readers to spot footwear hiding—the family gives up on their hunt, and Mr. Brown asks to be carried around for the chores. He rides on his father’s shoulders as Papa gets his work done, as seen on a double-page spread of vignettes. The resolution is more of a lesson for the adult readers than for children, a saccharine moment where father and son express their joy that the missing shoes gave them the opportunity for togetherness—with advice for other parents to appreciate those fleeting moments themselves. Though the art is bright and cheerful, taking advantage of the setting, it occasionally is misaligned with the text (for example, the text states that Mr. Brown is wearing his favorite green shirt while the illustration is of a shirt with wide stripes of white and teal blue, which could confuse readers at the point where they’re trying to figure out which family member is Mr. Brown). The family is light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Pedestrian. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 14, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-5460-0389-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: WorthyKids/Ideals

Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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THE BEST CHEF IN SECOND GRADE

by Katharine Kenah & illustrated by Abby Carter ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 1, 2007

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An impending school visit by a celebrity chef sends budding cook Ollie into a tailspin. He and his classmates are supposed to bring a favorite family food for show and tell, but his family doesn’t have a clear choice—besides, his little sister Rosy doesn’t like much of anything. What to do? As in their previous two visits to Room 75, Kenah builds suspense while keeping the tone light, and Carter adds both bright notes of color and familiar home and school settings in her cartoon illustrations. Eventually, Ollie winkles favorite ingredients out of his clan, which he combines into a mac-and-cheese casserole with a face on top that draws delighted praise from the class’s renowned guest. As Ollie seems to do his kitchen work without parental assistance, a cautionary tip or two (and maybe a recipe) might not have gone amiss here, but the episode’s mouthwatering climax and resolution will guarantee smiles of contentment all around. (Easy reader. 6-7)