Loredana CuntiBesprekingen

Kicks, blocks, strikes and stances, Kakapo is great at them all in this lovely debut picture booby Toronto author Loredana Cunti. Illustrated by Stacy Curtis, Karate Kakapo will have your reader trying out all their karate moves.

Kakapo is getting ready for her black belt test and is a little worried about having to do a flying kick, you see kakapos can’t fly. On the day of the big test, Kakapo breezes through all the kicks, blocks, stikes and stances until she is last asked to do the dreaded flying kick. With a little encouragement from her Sensei and a change of perspective, Kakapo achieves her goal of earning her karate black belt.

Before reading Karate Kakapo, I had never heard of a kakapo, a flightless bird native to New Zealand. What a treat it was to do a little investigating with The Bear and The Bee to find out more about this bird. I love stories that lead to questions and investigations. While this is a nice little story about perseverance and perspective, it also offers the opportunity to dig a little deeper into the martial arts or different types of birds. The book ends with a lovely message about trying. How often in a day do I hear the words, “I can’t!” knowing full well they can and just don’t want to try. By offering a story like Karate Kakapo we can show readers even if they think they can’t, with a change in perspective, a new way of thinking about a task, they can turn their can’t into a can.

Stacy Curtis nails the illustrations, bringing Kakapo’s karate prowess to life in the lively illustrations. Bright and colourful, the illustrations side kick their way right off the page

This is a cute karate picture book. I like the details on blocks and kicks and strikes that the author and illustrator give. I would have liked it more with people instead of birds as characters. The ending in which the kakapo was given confidence with just a change in wording was well done.

Kids, especially boys will love this book. When astronauts go off into space where there is zero gravity, there are a lot of things we take for granted that become a problem. When the book explains about going to the bathroom in space, how to dispose of the waste etc. it is actually quite interesting. Other fun information including haircare, brushing your teeth, blowing or picking your nose, Space fashion (including diapers), getting exercise, eating and more are all presented in short bubbles that are sure to tickle the fancy of the reader. A great book for reluctant readers, especially it they are interested at all in space or space travel.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Karate Kakapo by Loredana Cunti & Stacey Curtis is a cute book about Kakapo, a little bird who just loves martial arts. Her favourite is karate and Kakapo has been practising hard. It's almost time for her black belt test. She's just hoping she won't be asked to do a flying kick. (Here's a secret about kakapo birds- they can't fly!) Whatever will Kakapo do? A wise flamingo assists. My cubs and I read this book together, and we all just adored it! There's a great lesson about gaining and keeping confidence, and about looking at problems in different ways in order to find solutions. Highly recommended!

***Many thanks to Netgalley and Kids Can Press for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

There's so much to learn about what you do in space in this book for all ages. What do you eat and wear? How do you use the toilet? Do you brush your hair and teeth? It's really hard to lose interest in this book. Pictures give the reader an idea what things look like in space such as: toilets, funnels, and sleeping bags. Very educational.

To Burp or Not to Burp: A Guide to Your Body in Space not only answers questions that kids may have about life on the International Space Station (ISS) but it answered mine too! Come on, haven’t you ever wondered how astronauts go to the bathroom in space? I had a general idea but this book gave me the complete low-down! It also explains eating, basic hygiene, and sleeping, among other things. My favorite part was learning that when you want to take a nap in space, you basically just close your eyes and drift off to sleep because you’re already floating, which is really comfy. I would love to be able to do that!

This book is written in simple language that kids will have no trouble understanding. It has a great mix of both illustrations and real-life photographs from inside the ISS. And it actually wasn’t AS gross as I thought it would be. Kids and parents alike will love this behinds-the-scenes look at life on the ISS.½