bookshelf

SOMEDAY, MAYBE

Name: SOMEDAY, MAYBE
Author: Diana Murray
ISBN: 9781250782755

by Diana Murray ; illustrated by Jessica Gibson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2023

Will spur children to “keep on dreaming… / of what, someday, may be.”

bookshelf

Dream on, young inventors! There’s lots of work in your future.

Upbeat, rhyming verse helps readers explore the imaginations and dreams of several young inventors as they create plans for flying cars, self-cleaning houses, and alternate food sources (for instance, earthworms). Perhaps they will sing with a robotic backup band that they’ve built and programmed, use “X-ray specs / to scan for broken bones,” or deliver packages with hypersonic drones. Maybe space will call and they will work in the first town on the moon, study lunar mold in a lab and find the cure for the common cold, or send rovers to Mars and beyond. Someday, they might create a holographic crew to explore the “volcanoes of / a strange, uncharted land.” But inventing and exploring can leave young dreamers a bit homesick, and that’s how families can help—with tight hugs and praise that encourage more dreaming of what might be. Detailed illustrations, often in rich jewel tones, show diverse young inventors. A tan-skinned child uses a wheelchair. The children’s families are diverse as well, with a one-parent family and what appears to be a same-sex family represented. Backmatter explains that many of the inventions mentioned already exist, though some aren’t quite ready to be used by the public. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Will spur children to “keep on dreaming… / of what, someday, may be.” (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 14, 2023

ISBN: 9781250782755

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
SLEEPY SNUGGLES
by Diana Murray ; illustrated by Charles Santoso

- BOOK REVIEW
SLEEP, LITTLE DOZER
by Diana Murray ; illustrated by Cleonique Hilsaca

- BOOK REVIEW
MERMAID DAY
by Diana Murray ; illustrated by Luke Flowers

bookshelf

THE WORLD NEEDS THE WONDER YOU SEE

by Joanna Gaines ; illustrated by Julianna Swaney ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 28, 2025

Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.

bookshelf

Interior decorator and TV personality Gaines invites readers to open their eyes and exercise their imaginations.

There’s a world to be explored out there—and only children can really take part. What does “looking for wonder” entail? Slowing down and looking up, around, and everywhere. At the outset, a group of eager, racially diverse young friends—including one who uses a wheelchair—are fully prepared for a grand adventure. They offer tips about how and where to look: Why, there’s a “grand parade” of marching ants! And, these kids add, perspective is key. A rainy day might signal gloom to some, but to those filled with wonder, showers bring “magic puddles for play”; a forest is “an enchanted world,” the ocean conceals “a spectacular city,” and the night sky boasts “extraordinary sights.” The takeaway: “Wonder is never in short supply.” It’s a robust, empowering message, as is the exhortation to “keep your mind open, and let curiosity guide the way.” Youngsters are also advised to share their discoveries. The upbeat narrative is delivered in clunky verse, but the colorful cartoonish illustrations brimming with activity and good cheer (including some adorable anthropomorphized animals in the backgrounds) make up for the textual lapses and should motivate readers to embark on their own “wonder explorations.”

Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025

ISBN: 9781400247417

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tommy Nelson

Review Posted Online: today

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WORLD NEEDS WHO YOU WERE MADE TO BE
by Joanna Gaines ; illustrated by Julianna Swaney

bookshelf

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...

bookshelf

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)