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taun 's review for:
Apple Crush
by Lucy Knisley
You'd think the scariest thing about Halloween would be the haunted hayride. You'd be wrong.
New school, new job, new... feelings? While Jen is more interested in art, dragons & making this year's pumpkin patch experience the creepiest ever, it seems like everyone else in her changing world is only interested in romance.
The artwork is complete Autumn vibes. One can practically hear, taste & feel all things October in these pages, which was the primary draw for me. The story is relatable on many levels, but I do have some thoughts.
Crushes are normal, healthy. However, the portrayal of young kids kissing, sneaking away to make out, disregarding other friendships & their own likes & dislikes all for the sake of romance is, perhaps, part of the problem.
When we normalize these things, kids get pushed out of childhood. Pressure mounts from peers, parents & others (like the Mom's boyfriend in this story, who teases & pressures Jen about having a boyfriend, among so many others). The lack of healthy parenting/guidance is a very real thing for so many, & while it's good that's represented in books for kids to relate to, so too would it be beneficial to include positive examples of these things, for encouragement & to let kids know that there are safe places to talk about their feelings. Which could save many kids from dealing with very adult issues far too early in life, usually on their own.
I really loved Jen & her story. She's just a kid who likes overalls, books, drawing, & other things that make up childhood. Discovering she's too old for playing with the little kids, but too young to fit it with the trends of her peers, it's a familiar call to all of us who boarded the romance train a little later than others & an encouragement to let our own kids be just what they are... kids.
New school, new job, new... feelings? While Jen is more interested in art, dragons & making this year's pumpkin patch experience the creepiest ever, it seems like everyone else in her changing world is only interested in romance.
The artwork is complete Autumn vibes. One can practically hear, taste & feel all things October in these pages, which was the primary draw for me. The story is relatable on many levels, but I do have some thoughts.
Crushes are normal, healthy. However, the portrayal of young kids kissing, sneaking away to make out, disregarding other friendships & their own likes & dislikes all for the sake of romance is, perhaps, part of the problem.
When we normalize these things, kids get pushed out of childhood. Pressure mounts from peers, parents & others (like the Mom's boyfriend in this story, who teases & pressures Jen about having a boyfriend, among so many others). The lack of healthy parenting/guidance is a very real thing for so many, & while it's good that's represented in books for kids to relate to, so too would it be beneficial to include positive examples of these things, for encouragement & to let kids know that there are safe places to talk about their feelings. Which could save many kids from dealing with very adult issues far too early in life, usually on their own.
I really loved Jen & her story. She's just a kid who likes overalls, books, drawing, & other things that make up childhood. Discovering she's too old for playing with the little kids, but too young to fit it with the trends of her peers, it's a familiar call to all of us who boarded the romance train a little later than others & an encouragement to let our own kids be just what they are... kids.