“CHIRCHIR IS SINGING,” by Kelly Cunnane, illustrated by Jude Daly, Schwartz & Wade, August 23, 2011, $17.99 (ages 3 and up)
What small child has not wanted to help out at home and been brushed off because they were “just too little”? Chirchir — the youngest of the family, but one — wants so much to help her family with a busy day’s work. Traveling from family member to family member she offers her services, but finds — again and again — that all she brings is trouble. Saddened by her inability to actually help, Chirchir eventually finds the perfect job for her skills, and realizes that all along the way she has been offering happiness and joy with the songs she has been singing as she went.
Interspersed with the small poems of Chirchir’s songs, Kelly Cunnane’s book is infused with a poetry feel. From the first sentence:
“High in Africa / wind like a cat paw / wipes the sky clean.”
The reader knows that each word of this picture book was carefully and deliberately chosen. With illustrations that reflect the wide-open feel of Cunnane’s poetry — and Chirchir’s world — the book has an artsy feel that is nevertheless very accessible to even the smallest child. The rhythm of the words and Chirchir’s pattern of seeking to help, failing, and trying yet again make the book a cyclical exercise for the reader. And when Chirchir is finally finds her place for helping her family, the reader is just as happy as she is.
Written with a message of family love and service, and completed with beautiful words and images, “Chirchir is Singing” is a wonderful book to add to your library.
