Potentially perplexing, though rewarding for the right reader—and empowering for all.
On a day at the beach, two children discover words that start with the prefix bi.
“Many words that start with ‘bi’ mean two,” Irving informs readers. The kids in Alonso’s illustrations watch a biennial plant grow, then ride bicycles with their grown-ups to the seaside. Legs outstretched, the youngsters proudly proclaim themselves to be bipeds, watch a whale through a pair of binoculars, and explore bivalve sea creatures and the concept of bilateral symmetry in butterflies. Other families at the beach introduce the terms bilingual and biracial. Irving closes with a bi word that “can mean ‘more than two’”: bisexuality, since “bi hearts love in a rainbow of ways.” Some of the concepts will be a bit abstract for young readers. A much-needed glossary goes into further detail and may allay some confusion; children and their adults will need to put in some work to understand these terms, but those interested in finding connections between words and concepts will be intrigued. The book’s soft, powdery illustrations rely heavily on the iconic pink, purple, and blue of the bi flag, particularly in the final spread, which shows silhouetted figures on the beach as the sun sets, with the phrase “Bi is beautiful” written in the sky. One of the children has dirty blond hair and pale skin, while the other has curly pigtails and light brown skin.
Potentially perplexing, though rewarding for the right reader—and empowering for all. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 20, 2025
ISBN: 9780593571828
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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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