A keeper.
Waiflike Nia convinces Littletown to rebuild its library after a tornado carries it away.
The opening double-page spread mimics an album of photographs, starting with the earthbound library in a horse-and-buggy era and ending years later, with the building spun aloft in a tornado’s funnel. Simple text asserts that the library had been there so long that “people stopped paying attention” and no one noticed when the librarian retired. Townspeople do notice the space left by the tornado; preliminary suggestions for projects are a skyscraper and a parking lot. Nia’s suggestion is met with negative reactions from people who think that libraries are never used and are a waste of money. There is one stumbling moment when readers learn that decidedly young Nia had been checking out books weekly. How long ago had that librarian retired? Nevertheless, text, art, and layout combine to create a tale that is distinctive, whimsical, funny, and a pointed reminder about public libraries’ value. Nia gathers some items in her red wagon: a desk, a chair, pencil and papers, and “a plate of orange slices for energy.” She uses clever humility to lure townspeople into her scheme that readers familiar with the tale of “Stone Soup” may recognize. Tongue-in-cheek humor includes witty metafictional references. Warmly informal line-and-color art imbues the diverse inhabitants of Littletown with a sweet humanity—even in moments of disagreement. Nia has beige skin and wears her hair in a brown pageboy.
A keeper. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4521-6686-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
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
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
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)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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