Will leave little ones reassured that the world is a magical place if they truly believe it is.
When you search for magic, you may find it.
“To Manolo, the world was a magical place.” The brown-skinned boy’s journal is flush with unicorn drawings, but what he longs to see is an “actual” unicorn. Others aren’t charmed by Manolo’s dreams. The “Wild Animal Parade” is an eagerly anticipated school event where students dress up as the creature of their choice, but Manolo’s announcement that he’ll be a unicorn is met with derision and a stinging rebuke: “Boys don’t like unicorns.” Suddenly Manolo’s world isn’t magical; dejected, he starts to believe that “Maybe unicorns aren’t real.” But then…a unicorn magically materializes, and Manolo goes for a ride, returning home with a prized souvenir from its tail: “a shimmery strand as light as air and as strong as iron.” Next morning, Manolo hurriedly prepares his splendid costume, complete with magical strand. After he tells his diverse classmates about unicorns, they urge him to lead them in a search for one. Manolo stands just a bit taller. This sweet story conveys an empowering message about being true to oneself and one’s dreams. The language is often poetic, airy, and lush, though the ending is rushed. The bright illustrations, from which rays of light seem to emanate often, are delicate and suit a tale about a magical creature. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Will leave little ones reassured that the world is a magical place if they truly believe it is. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 18, 2023
ISBN: 9781951836528
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Cameron Kids
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
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
BOOK REVIEW
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