An earnest but less-than-convincing attempt at fostering inclusion.
A child named America feels out of place at a new school.
America is clearly nervous. Though the child isn’t visually depicted (each scene is viewed from the young narrator’s perspective), America confesses, “My hands are shaking so bad, I drop my backpack.” As class begins, the teacher, Mr. Downs, invites the students to introduce themselves and share their dreams, which include scoring the winning World Cup goal and singing on Broadway. But when it’s America’s turn, the child freezes up, and the other students giggle and sneer. During recess, America stays inside, buried in a biography of Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Downs offers America books about historical figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Sojourner Truth, people who sometimes felt they didn’t belong. That night, these larger-than-life people visit America in a dream and share words of wisdom. The next day goes better: America speaks up, and the other students welcome America into the fold. McKinnon tells a heartfelt yet didactic story, accompanied by Phuong’s earth-toned illustrations. The legendary figures America meets are reduced to flattened, simplistic depictions. McKinnon offers a one-sided view of friendship and acceptance; while America does plenty of soul-searching, the other students don’t reflect on their unkindness—which may inadvertently leave readers believing that the onus is on bullied children to work harder to fit in. The other kids’ ultimate willingness to embrace America also seems unrealistically rushed. The class is diverse; Mr. Downs is light-skinned.
An earnest but less-than-convincing attempt at fostering inclusion. (author’s note, information on historical figures) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 4, 2024
ISBN: 9780593658796
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
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)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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