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AFTER THE SHELTER

Name: AFTER THE SHELTER
Author: Brenda Reeves Sturgis
ISBN: 9780807504307

by Brenda Reeves Sturgis ; illustrated by Amy Everson ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 10, 2025

A warm and hopeful offering that speaks to both the challenges and joys of starting over.

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A young family makes a new life with support from their caring community.

“It’s worth the climb,” Lily’s mother says as they open the door to their new apartment on the third floor of a walk-up. Though their home is just a few blocks from their old one, in many ways, it’s been a long journey; Mom and Lily have transitioned from a shelter for unhoused people to their own place. They’re supported by friends at the shelter, a social worker, and a kind neighbor who offers to watch Lily on weekends while Mom works to build a better life for them. The story celebrates their new opportunities—like Lily’s excitement about Mom cooking lasagna in their own kitchen—but also acknowledges the bittersweet emotions of leaving behind shelter friends, particularly Lily’s BFF, Madeline. Visits to the shelter offer comfort and continuity, showing how Lily and Mom maintain meaningful connections while expanding their world with a new day care and friends for Lily and college for Mom. Sensitively illustrated by Everson in purples, blues, and cheerful yellows (Lily’s favorite color!) that add joy to the narrative, this simple yet heartfelt tale balances realism with optimism. An author’s note with facts about homelessness provides valuable context, making this a poignant and much-needed story for children and their caretakers alike. Lily and Mom are brown-skinned; their community is diverse.

A warm and hopeful offering that speaks to both the challenges and joys of starting over. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: April 10, 2025

ISBN: 9780807504307

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Whitman

Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
STILL A FAMILY
by Brenda Reeves Sturgis ; illustrated by Jo-Shin Lee

- BOOK REVIEW
10 TURKEYS IN THE ROAD
by Brenda Reeves Sturgis & illustrated by David Slonim

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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)