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ODDREY

Name: ODDREY
Author: Dave Whamond
ISBN: 978-1-926973-45-6

by Dave Whamond & illustrated by Dave Whamond ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2012

So bighearted and good-spirited, it is a shame that the climax fails at liftoff.

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Little Oddrey the charming oddball makes good when her classmates seize up like overheated cylinders during the school play.

Whamond’s Oddrey is a berserkly cute imp. She likes to do things her way: odd, but not dangerously so. Her hopscotch layout is unique; her apples are blue; her dog meows; she looks for the silver lining when others just want to get out of the rain. Her classmates are a tad suspicious, a little standoffish, but not hateful. When her class puts on the school play, Oddrey gets a supporting role and has to conform to the drab outfit her drab teacher gives her. When the stars of the show come down with serious stage fright, Oddrey races from each to each with encouragement, and the show goes on. Despite the fairly dear artwork and the unflagging optimism and original personality of Oddrey, readers can’t help but feel a letdown at how her creator has her rather unoriginally save the day. It’s plain flat and not what we’ve come to expect from her. And when the other kids start to emulate her, she might as well be Audrey.

So bighearted and good-spirited, it is a shame that the climax fails at liftoff. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-926973-45-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Owlkids Books

Review Posted Online: July 24, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2012

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
HUGO’S HAUNTED HANDBOOK
by Dave Whamond ; illustrated by Dave Whamond

- BOOK REVIEW
MUDDLE SCHOOL
by Dave Whamond ; illustrated by Dave Whamond

- BOOK REVIEW
ALIEN NATE
by Dave Whamond ; illustrated by Dave Whamond

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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)