A meaningful ode to a literary hero and youthful imagination.
Edmond draws from personal experience for this story of a Black child whose love of books is nurtured by LeVar Burton, host of TV’s Reading Rainbow.
Mom, who presents white, and Dad, who is Black, introduce the young narrator to “someone special,” whom they know “from a famous TV show called Roots.” Entranced, the child is inspired to seek out the books LeVar recommends, from Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day to Jeanette Winter’s Follow the Drinking Gourd. The narrative culminates with the child meeting LeVar by chance in the grocery store; they hug, Mom takes a picture, and the child proudly shows off the photo in school the next day. Reading Rainbow isn’t mentioned by name until the backmatter; many adults will easily recognize the show, but for younger readers, Edmond includes a helpful blurb about Burton and the books and TV episodes referenced. Though these stories let Edmond see himself reflected on the page, he observes that many of them were by non-Black creators; in his powerful author’s note, he stresses the importance of spotlighting books by Black authors and artists, “because representation in the hand that holds the pen is just as important as representation that is seen on the page.” Chung’s cartoon illustrations effectively depict the young narrator’s flights of fancy, from quilting alongside LeVar to sailing the high seas with him. While the book is light on plot, Edmond’s reverence for Burton, his impact, and the magic of childhood memories is palpable.
A meaningful ode to a literary hero and youthful imagination. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781623543174
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
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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