Nandana Dev Sen is an award-winning actor, writer, and child-rights activist. After studying literature at Harvard and filmmaking at USC, she worked as a book editor, a screenwriter, a short film maker, a poetry translator, and as Princess Jasmine in Disneyland. Nandana grew up in India, England, and America, and has acted in over 20 feature films from all three continents (and in multiple languages). As an ambassador and advocate, Nandana works closely with children (and grown-ups) at Operation Smile, RAHI (India's first organization for survivors of child sexual abuse), and UNICEF, to promote child protection and to fight against child abuse. Nandana frequently writes for newspapers and journals, has translated her mother Nabaneeta Dev Sen's book of poems Make Up Your Mind, and is the author of the children's book Mambi and the Forest Fire. Kangaroo Kisses is her debut children's book in the U.K. Nandana lives in New York, Kolkata, and London, and has been quoted to say that she loves to "eat, bike, rhyme, dance, and argue."
Pippa Curnick was winner of the Seven Stories Illustration Competition in 2012. She has worked as a designer for Alison Green Books and is now a freelance designer and illustrator. She enjoys using hand drawn textures and typography and her work is greatly inspired by nature. Pippa lives in Measham, Derbyshire.
"A beautifully written children's books with vivid, bright,
colorful illustrations. I would recommend Kangaroo Kisses to any
parent who enjoys reading to their kids at night and who has a
bedtime routine that they like to instill with their children."
*Curling Up with a Good Book*
"This colourful beautifully illustrated picture book tells the
story of an imaginative little girl who is ‘Not yet!’ ready for
bed! The story has a good pace as the little girl has a series of
adventures. Rhyming couplets give this narrative a sparkly quality
with interesting words such as ‘snuggle’, ‘nuzzle’, ‘squeeze’ and
‘tickle’ all standing out in a larger, bold font. This book has
many talking points."
*IBBY Link*
"An adorable new picture book written by Nandana Dev Sen and
illustrated by Pippa Curnick. Told in a familiar whimsical, rhyming
style, Kangaroo Kisses is a short and fun tale perfect for bedtime.
Curnick brings colorful and friendly animals to life on the
page, and the illustrations are beautiful. I highly recommend this
one! Super cute, and definitely and author/illustrator duo to
watch."
*criticalblast.com*
"The illustrations are colorful and adorable, while the actual
story expertly combines reality with fantasy. Quill says: A
true bedtime story, this is one that should become a staple for all
parents and children to enjoy."
*Feathered Quill Book Review*
"A very sweet bedtime story that sparks the imagination and
delights both parents and children alike. This would be a great
book to add into your night time line up."
*Mrs Mommy Booknerd's Review*
"This is a very sweet book. Even though it is perfect for very
young children (preschool or Kindergarten), my second graders loved
it! The illustrations by Pippa Curnick are very kid-friendly and
striking. I can’t wait to read it to my grandsons!"
*The Friendly Book Nook*
"Smiles and wild creatures abound in this playful mother-child
bedtime routine.Each of mom's friendly suggestions to get a move on
is met with a 'NOT YET!' and a delaying protest: 'I'm learning to
fly, / with geese in the sky!' and 'If I tickle giraffe, / She'll
giggle and laugh!' and 'Monkey needs a squeeze… / she sleeps in
those trees!' Sen takes the drama out of the nightly ritual by
making it more a game than a contest of wills. So does Curnick,
with smiles all round on human and animal faces alike. The brown
skins of the bright-eyed parent and child suggest South Asian
heritage, and the bedroom, bath, and clothing in the domestic
scenes that alternate with imagined outdoor ones in the painted
illustrations are Western in style and appearance. Readers can
track the child's reluctant bedtime progress in the illustrations,
as gradually red overalls are shed in favor of blue-striped pajamas
and bunny slippers in both real-life and imagined scenes. One last
try—'I will kiss kangaroo!'— gets a firm parental veto with 'NO,
now I'll kiss you!' and a final tuck-in: 'And I love you too! /
Night-night!'/. A warm and spirited invitation to dreamland.'
(Picture book. 4-6)
*Kirkus Reviews*
"Reading aloud well, the rhymes jump off the page as listeners join
in and enjoy the illustrations. The illustrations match this
bedtime scenario perfectly and further reads will reveal the skills
of Curnick, winner of the Seven Stories Illustration Competition in
2012."
*Books for Keeps*
"The scenario is familiar to most parents and grandparents and this
will make a great bedtime read, as well as being a good choice to
read to small groups at a story time."
*Armadillo*
"A charming bedtime story in verse that's easy to read and easy to
share, with lots of lively and colourful animal illustrations on
every page."
*Book Trust*
"Children and parents alike may well recognise the scenario of this
delightful bedtime story, in which a mother nudges her daughter to
get ready for bed, while the little girl protests that she can’t,
‘Not yet!’, at every stage of the process….a great readaloud! And
the illustrations are a joy too.…one of those book that it is easy
to take for granted because it is so well crafted that it requires
no particular effort to make it into a great shared readaloud
experience. Taking Kangaroo Kisses as an example, we can certainly
look forward to some wonderful books that encompass diversity and
promote empathy – and that children will want to have read to them
again and again. "
*Mirrors, Windows, Doors*
"A lovely bedtime picture book…Lively rhyming text and colourful
illustrations make this a great book for sharing."
*Reading Zone*
"Perfect bedtime reading."
*Achuka*
"The blend of fantasy and reality works well."
*Red Reading Hub*
"It's full of fun and captures perfectly a child's reluctance
to stop having fun and simply go to sleep."
*Parents in Touch*
"Beautifully produced... It is a book of adventures for
bedtime as the toys become real wild animals.
*DolphinBooks - the blog*
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