For caregivers of kids with brief, harmless fixations the story will ring true—but for little readers, some real nighttime...
A child’s fascination (and frustration) with a seemingly lonely, incomplete half-moon leads to a lunar surprise and friendship.
The unnamed child narrator of this series of rhyming couplets has decided that the half-moon can’t be happy. The bear-suit–clad white child first offers gifts to impress it, then yells up in anger at its indifference, trying to explain to it the wonder of being the moon. Some of it is lovely (the moon is “the reason that dogs and wolves howl”), other bits not so much, the result of trying to shoehorn words such as “balk” and “fondue” into the rhyme scheme. In parts, the story gets into the narrator’s mind, but in sum, it seems like a story that doesn’t know if it wants to be a wacky escalation of the things the child will do to get the half-moon’s attention or a simple meditation on its stunning beauty when it appears in full. The illustrations, with deep blues, greens, and blacks against a simple, chalky yellow moon, split the difference, acting as a moody but appropriately wistful accompaniment to the sometimes-draggy text. They also introduce a subtextual story in the form of a bunny-suit–clad child of color who watches the narrator’s antics and eventually offers friendship. Like the text, it is sweet but also feels forced.
For caregivers of kids with brief, harmless fixations the story will ring true—but for little readers, some real nighttime moon spotting may be even better. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 16, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-16901-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Feb. 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
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
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.
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: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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