A satisfying sequel whose lively protagonist continues to learn and grow.
A youngster learns what it means to be a good leader.
Millie Magnus Miller, a spirited third grader whose widowed mom is the mayor of Washington, D.C., burst assertively onto the scene last year; in her debut outing, she confronted a bully, learned impulse control, and dealt with authority issues. This installment finds her addressing new challenges. Overhearing part of a conversation between her mother and an architect with big plans for the city, Millie Magnus jumps to the conclusion that her beloved playground, which holds precious memories of her late father, will be demolished. Leaping into action, she spearheads an effort to save the playground, but her leadership skills need some fine-tuning. Her high-handed style alienates the other kids—including the Real Chill Pickles, a group of hip fourth graders. Sensibly, she consults her mom, a font of useful tips, but true to form, she also misunderstands them. Though her three besties and her mother’s assistant, Josephine, offer advice, Millie Magnus is moving too quickly to listen, but eventually, she slows down and unpacks deep-seated emotions about the playground and what it represents. Mazique offers another well-paced narrative, once more nailing Millie Magnus’ voice, difficulties, and feelings. Glenn’s perky, sure-handed line and grayscale cartoons bring to life an appealingly self-confident character and an encouraging supporting cast. Millie Magnus, her mother, and Josephine present Black; other characters are diverse.
A satisfying sequel whose lively protagonist continues to learn and grow. (Chapter book. 6-8)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9780593618806
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends
Gerald the elephant learns a truth familiar to every preschooler—heck, every human: “Waiting is not easy!”
When Piggie cartwheels up to Gerald announcing that she has a surprise for him, Gerald is less than pleased to learn that the “surprise is a surprise.” Gerald pumps Piggie for information (it’s big, it’s pretty, and they can share it), but Piggie holds fast on this basic principle: Gerald will have to wait. Gerald lets out an almighty “GROAN!” Variations on this basic exchange occur throughout the day; Gerald pleads, Piggie insists they must wait; Gerald groans. As the day turns to twilight (signaled by the backgrounds that darken from mauve to gray to charcoal), Gerald gets grumpy. “WE HAVE WASTED THE WHOLE DAY!…And for WHAT!?” Piggie then gestures up to the Milky Way, which an awed Gerald acknowledges “was worth the wait.” Willems relies even more than usual on the slightest of changes in posture, layout and typography, as two waiting figures can’t help but be pretty static. At one point, Piggie assumes the lotus position, infuriating Gerald. Most amusingly, Gerald’s elephantine groans assume weighty physicality in spread-filling speech bubbles that knock Piggie to the ground. And the spectacular, photo-collaged images of the Milky Way that dwarf the two friends makes it clear that it was indeed worth the wait.
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends . (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9957-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014
A close encounter of the best kind.
Left behind when the space bus departs, a child discovers that the moon isn’t as lifeless as it looks.
While the rest of the space-suited class follows the teacher like ducklings, one laggard carrying crayons and a sketchbook sits down to draw our home planet floating overhead, falls asleep, and wakes to see the bus zooming off. The bright yellow bus, the gaggle of playful field-trippers, and even the dull gray boulders strewn over the equally dull gray lunar surface have a rounded solidity suggestive of Plasticine models in Hare’s wordless but cinematic scenes…as do the rubbery, one-eyed, dull gray creatures (think: those stress-busting dolls with ears that pop out when squeezed) that emerge from the regolith. The mutual shock lasts but a moment before the lunarians eagerly grab the proffered crayons to brighten the bland gray setting with silly designs. The creatures dive into the dust when the bus swoops back down but pop up to exchange goodbye waves with the errant child, who turns out to be an olive-skinned kid with a mop of brown hair last seen drawing one of their new friends with the one crayon—gray, of course—left in the box. Body language is expressive enough in this debut outing to make a verbal narrative superfluous.
A close encounter of the best kind. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4253-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
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