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MISTY THE CLOUD

Name: MISTY THE CLOUD
Author: Dylan Dreyer
ISBN: 978-0-593-18042-6

FRIENDS THROUGH RAIN OR SHINE

From the Misty the Cloud series

by Dylan Dreyer with Alan Katz ; illustrated by Rosie Butcher ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2022

A slight improvement on the first title, but separate books on rainbows and compromise would better serve kids.

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Today show co-host and meteorologist Dreyer’s sequel to Misty the Cloud (2021) finds Misty celebrating her birthday, which she shares with human Clare.

Clare is having a birthday party. Unfortunately, she’s sharing the party with her younger brother, Tyler, whose birthday is approaching. Clare wants Tyler’s guests and party paraphernalia to stay on their own side of the yard. But that may be moot when it starts to rain. The cause? Misty’s party game of One, Two, Three, Can’t Catch Me!, which also gets in the way of the sunbeams’ game of Funny Sunny. When sunbeam Raye and Misty finally compromise (cue a bit of didacticism) on a game that equally suits both clouds and sunbeams, the result—a rainbow—not only allows the humans’ parties to go forward but makes for “the perfect decoration.” And the icing on the cakes? The siblings ultimately, though a bit facilely, enjoy a truly joint party. (The clouds and sunbeams demonstrate compromise much better than the humans.) Backmatter includes some weather facts and terms and a rainbow-making activity; both seem a bit above the target audience’s age range. As with the prior title, the illustrations are the true stars, their vibrant colors and delightful anthropomorphized characters stealing the thunder from the too-easily-solved social problem. Clare and Tyler are light-skinned; other human characters are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A slight improvement on the first title, but separate books on rainbows and compromise would better serve kids. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-593-18042-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
MISTY THE CLOUD
by Dylan Dreyer with Alan Katz ; illustrated by Rosie Butcher

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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)