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MY BIG EMBARRASSING ELEPHANT

Name: MY BIG EMBARRASSING ELEPHANT
Author: Angie Lucas
ISBN: 9781958325025

by Angie Lucas ; illustrated by Pierre Collet-Derby ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 19, 2023

A kid-friendly primer on addressing the elephant in the room—metaphorical and otherwise.

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Attempting to conceal a big secret only makes life harder.

Maya’s family is trying to hide something that’s sitting in the middle of their living room: a big pink egg-shaped elephant wearing a yellow diaper and a folded newspaper hat. Maya’s dad refuses to look at him. Her mother “tries to sweep him under the rug,” while her sister “dances around him.” Nevertheless, the elephant is an ever looming presence in their lives—and a mortifying one, too. The neighbors complain about the noise, so Maya pretends she is practicing her trumpet. And even the raccoons hold their noses at the stinking elephant diapers. When new girl Serena moves next door and tries to befriend Maya, Maya makes several humorous but also desperate excuses. Finally, Serena knocks on Maya’s door and reveals that she has her own large green elephant. The elephants make an effective metaphor for the embarrassing secrets that so often bring kids discomfort. Together, the girls decide it’s better to talk about their problems rather than trying to cover them up—a sound takeaway that will resonate with readers in similar situations. Cartoon-style illustrations with large color blocks and minimal details create a gentle, nonthreatening world for kids to safely consider and sharpen social-emotional skills. Maya and her family have blue skin, while Serena has bright orange skin. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A kid-friendly primer on addressing the elephant in the room—metaphorical and otherwise. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023

ISBN: 9781958325025

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Marble Press

Review Posted Online: June 1, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
RAFA AND THE WRONG LEGS
by Angie Lucas ; illustrated by Ana Sanfelippo

- BOOK REVIEW
MY BIG, DUMB, INVISIBLE DRAGON
by Angie Lucas ; illustrated by Birgitta Sif

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)