“Not a political book, the emphasis is on the everyday similarities of children’s lives the world over, albeit with a focus on specific cultural traditions, here Theravada Buddhism….” froms i see the sun in myanmar/burma
I SEE THE SUN IN MYANMAR/BURMA
slightly darker skin than “Alex,” who closely resembles his adult namesake) with glossy skin and plastic smiles. A superficial sketch, driven far more by its worthy agenda than by any effort or evident desire to connect with real readers. (Picture book. 7-9)
King, Dedie Illus. by Inglese, Judith Satya House (40 pp.) $12.95 paper | Jul. 9, 2013 978-1-935874-20-1
A quietly informative book takes readers through one idealized day in a Burmese village, produced with a text in English and the gracefully written Burmese language. Aye Aye narrates the simple text. The young girl describes her morning routine and then accompanies her nurse mother to the hospital; there is no school today. Her brother goes to fish with his father, demonstrating gender-specific activities. It’s too bad school is not included, as a look at it might have made the text a bit more nuanced. Burma (officially named Myanmar in 1989, hence the two names) was isolated from 1962 until 2010, when its military government began allowing more freedoms. This is explained in an afterword, written for an older audience. A picture of the famous political figure, Aung San Suu Kyi, appears on the Buddhist wall altar and is described only in the afterword. Not a political book, the emphasis is on the everyday similarities of children’s lives the world over, albeit with a focus on specific cultural traditions, here Theravada Buddhism, and the concept of metta, loving-kindness. Detailed collages of paper, woven straw, photographs and other materials highlight the differences between urban and rural life. Interested teachers and parents will want to use this with young children as one way to introduce children to a way of life that has compassion at its heart. (glossary) (Picture book. 5-8)
GO AHEAD AND DREAM
Kingsbury, Karen Illus. by Banning, Greg Harper/HarperCollins (32 pp.) $17.99 | Aug. 27, 2013 978-0-06-168625-2
An NFL quarterback and the “Queen of Christian Fiction” (so styled by Time magazine) deliver a heaping shovelful of sugary inspiration. Dreaming of becoming, respectively, a football player and a pilot, young classmates Alex and Bobby face obstacles. Alex is small and always is chosen last for playground kickball, and Bobby is a foster child with attendant self-esteem and poverty issues, but they overcome them with hard work and an encouraging jingle from Alex’s singing grandpa: “Go ahead and dream, / However big it seems. / Work hard, believe, / And don’t give up.” The news that grandpa has “gone to heaven” leaves both lads sad, but his memory prompts them to keep each other on the path to success, and by the time they’ve reached adulthood, guess what? Receiving nary a nod in either the blurb or Kingsbury’s afterword, Banning contributes appropriately bland, static scenes featuring realistically painted figures (Bobby has |
LOVE DISGUISED
Klein, Lisa Bloomsbury (320 pp.) $16.99 | Aug. 6, 2013 978-1-59990-968-4
Innovative and ambitious, this portrait of young Will Shakespeare doesn’t quite succeed. Assisting his improvident father, a Stratford glover, Will dreams of escaping to become an actor. He gets his wish when a midnight rendezvous with one of the Hathaway sisters goes awry, and his father sends him to London to negotiate a debt. Concurrently, left to shift for herself after her father’s death in prison and her mother’s suicide, young Londoner Meg survives by petty crime until she’s offered employment by kindly innkeepers. Will and Meg meet, but Meg is too late to rescue him from thieves who prey on rubes. While Will frets about repairing his fortunes, Meg concocts schemes to make it happen. Soon, Will’s career as playwright and actor takes off, and Meg—thanks to her quick wit and acting chops—serves as his muse. Meg’s an appealing character, but naïve and selfish Will’s hard to like. Labored subplots based on mistaken identity and cross-dressing slow the action considerably. Meant to evoke the Bard of Avon’s comedies, they clash with the vivid portrayal of the harsh Elizabethan world and Meg’s brutal past depicted elsewhere in the novel. What’s hilarious (to some) onstage is problematic in fiction with an otherwise realistic bent. Risk-taking and thought-provoking fiction, best suited to readers who cherish Shakespearean slapstick. (author’s note, bibliography) (Historical fiction. 14 & up)
THE SHOW MUST GO ON!
Klise, Kate Illus. by Klise, M. Sarah Algonquin (144 pp.) $15.99 | Sep. 10, 2013 978-1-61620-244-6 Series: Three-Ring Rascals, 1
In this entertaining chapter book, the first in a series, readers meet kind Sir Sidney and the gentle performers and hands in his circus. But Sir Sidney is tired and leaves the circus under the management of new-hire Barnabas Brambles for a week. That Sir Sidney is beloved by all is quickly established, presenting a sharp contrast to the bully Brambles. The scoundrel
kirkus.com
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children ’s
&
teen
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15 june 2013
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99