Appealing as both guidebook and story.
How to pick a pet.
“Hey there!” begins the friendly, omniscient narrator. “Are you looking for a pet?” The unnamed main character—a child with light tan skin, a black pageboy, and round, periwinkle glasses that match their large, periwinkle overalls—looks dizzied by the number of choices and squinches up their eyes in thought. The narrator then asks a number of open-ended questions, encouraging both protagonist and readers to think for themselves about what kind of pet best meets their needs: talkative or comforting, cuddly or only for observation, quotidian or uncommon. The questions are practical as well as emotional, meaning that this title would be as comfortable in a fiction section as nonfiction. The illustrations, acrylic on wood, are blocky and warm, and each animal is rendered as an affectionate approximation of itself. At one brief moment the text oversteps, assuring readers that if they have an animal companion, “You will not be lonely, and if you are scared, you will know that it’s okay because your pet will tell you.” It also skirts the hard but inevitable loss of a pet that children often need support dealing with. The end becomes more specific and less general, as the child decides that a turtle is “perfectly right for [them],” but on the whole many children will relate to this exploration. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Appealing as both guidebook and story. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 7, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-302599-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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