KaBoom
A 4th of July Story
Depictions of exploding fireworks will engage young children, along with interesting Fourth of July facts.
KaBoom, a celebration of the Fourth of July, includes a short story about fireworks that cannot wait to show off their colors, and some interesting information to teach children what the holiday is all about.
It is the Fourth of July and the fireworks are very excited to put on a show. As they decide in what order they will present themselves, KaBoom, the noisy explosion, is kicked out of the performance. His friends think he will upset their human audience. Sad and alone, KaBoom climbs to the top of the hill to watch the show.
The fireworks are not nice to one another, and while there was potential for a lesson about the value of every individual, the story does not fully realize it. The story is told in verse, but many stanzas lack rhythm, or do not exactly rhyme. Still, some of the stanzas work very well:
The fireworks sparkle
on the canvas of night,
bursting bright colors
WITH ALL OF THEIR MIGHT!
Interesting information is presented at the beginning of the book about the origins of Uncle Sam. The story is followed by an article from 1877 about the first Fourth of July celebration, the full text of the Declaration of Independence, and a list of commonly celebrated holidays in the United States. These are all appropriate and relevant to the book, and are wonderfully helpful in teaching young children about the meaning of Independence Day.
The book’s illustrations are uneven. Computer-generated images are nicely layered, creating interesting backgrounds for the characters. The somewhat abstract depictions of fireworks mid-explosion are striking and very well done. The figures, however, are not as appealing. The human figures are completely flat, like paper dolls on display. Additionally, the faces of both the humans and the anthropomorphized fireworks are oddly distorted and in some cases almost menacing.
Depictions of exploding fireworks will likely be enough to engage young children, and the interesting information presented along with the story may be new to adult teachers and caregivers as well.
Reviewed by
Catherine Thureson
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
