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A Brand New Day: A Banana Split Story
A.S. Chung, illus. by Paula Bossio. Pigeonhole Books (pigeonholebooks.com), $4.99 e-book (32p) ASIN B00LXJ3I2Y
A girl celebrates happy moments with her mother and father throughout the year, even though her parents no longer live together. Chung sidesteps any potential moments of sadness or insecurity—the girl’s rhymed narrative remains resoundingly upbeat throughout. “I love Mondays and Tuesdays when I get to stay with my Dad,” she begins. “I get to help make dinner with recipes from his notepad.” Unfortunately, similarly convoluted and stilted rhymes continue as the girl gardens and plays hide-and-seek with her mother, explores artistic pursuits and takes a camping trip with her father, and enjoys other activities (“I walk our cute puppy and play in the sun./ I laugh in delight from having so much fun”). Bossio’s (The Line) illustrations are more successful: washed with soft grays and accented with pink, they convey the family’s close bond with a light touch and gentle humor, without becoming sentimental or cloying. But by avoiding the real emotional difficulties that can accompany parental separation, the book is limited to a rosy portrait (literally and figuratively) of divorced family life. Ages 4–8. (BookLife)

Reviewed by Publishers Weekly on 02/20/2015

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