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CY MAKES A FRIEND

Name: CY MAKES A FRIEND
Author: Ann Marie Stephens
ISBN: 978-1-62979-578-2

by Ann Marie Stephens ; illustrated by Tracy Subisak ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 7, 2017

A tale of encouragement and gumption, simplified to the point of losing its characterization.

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Even mythological creatures can be shy.

Cy—he is the hairy gentleman with one big eye and a three-headed dog—is good at making things: toys, helmets, fireworks. But friends? Not so much. Cy would like friends, though, as Stephens’ writes in her minimal, plainspoken narrative. To make a friend requires venturing out of the comfortable confines of the workshop and meeting strangers—or, in Cy’s case, other strange, mythological creatures. His first attempts are awkward: a little too much teeth-gritted confidence and desperate eye contact. Without any preamble or segue, Cy decides that a good way to make friends is to have something to share. True enough. He fashions a chariot built for two, which, in Subisak’s playful artwork, Cy rattles over hill and through dale to master. Next time in town, Cy’s humble, accomplished at the art of eye contact, and soon in flight with a phoenix, which has thoughtfully shared a spare pair of wings to give the chariot lift. The wrinkles in continuity—how did Cy come up with the idea of sharing?—gloss over discovering actual tools on the road to friendship. Yet the lesson in generosity never goes wrong. On the other hand, the rear-endpaper introduction to various mythological creatures—some very obscure: Rtatoskr, the Teumessian fox—feels like an afterthought.

A tale of encouragement and gumption, simplified to the point of losing its characterization. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 7, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-62979-578-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Boyds Mills

Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
CATASTROPHE!
by Ann Marie Stephens ; illustrated by Jenn Harney

- BOOK REVIEW
ARITHMECHICKS TAKE AWAY
by Ann Marie Stephens ; illustrated by Jia Liu

- BOOK REVIEW
ARITHMECHICKS ADD UP
by Ann Marie Stephens ; illustrated by Jia Liu

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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)