ON THE SMALL HILL WHERE THE GIRLS TAKE OFF THEIR SHOES

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ON THE SMALL HILL WHERE THE GIRLS TAKE OFF THEIR SHOES

Name: ON THE SMALL HILL WHERE THE GIRLS TAKE OFF THEIR SHOES
Author: Jairo Buitrago
ISBN: 9781778400506

From the Aldana Libros series

by Jairo Buitrago ; illustrated by Linda Wolfsgruber ; translated by Elisa Amado ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 27, 2024

The history of the world presented lovingly through an intimate lens.

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A parcel of land turns out to be steeped in history.

On the top of a small hill, a group of young girls relax under the sunny sky with their shoes off. Unbeknownst to them, this spot was the site of events both exciting and monotonous, from the prehistoric reign of the dinosaurs and the planting of an oak tree to a man walking his dogs among the literal ruins of times past. As time marches on, a small community is eventually formed where the group of girls gather to continue living their lives without shoes. Buitrago’s tender text, translated from Spanish, lovingly recalls the past while focusing on present-day experiences throughout. Wolfsgruber’s monotype collage art, with earthy tones of brown, orange, and green, conveys the passage of time, with the spreads at the beginning presented through a haze that clears up as the story progresses—much like a memory itself. Themes of displacement run through the narrative, with quick glances at a family seeking refuge from an unnamed war and a flock of birds left without a home after the felling of a tree. Readers will come away curious to learn more about the histories of their own communities. Human characters vary in skin tone.

The history of the world presented lovingly through an intimate lens. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2024

ISBN: 9781778400506

Page Count: 44

Publisher: Greystone Kids

Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE PET STORE WINDOW
by Jairo Buitrago ; illustrated by Rafael Yockteng ; translated by Elisa Amado

- BOOK REVIEW
AFTERWARD, EVERYTHING WAS DIFFERENT
by Jairo Buitrago ; illustrated by Rafael Yockteng ; translated by Elisa Amado

- BOOK REVIEW
WAYS TO MAKE FRIENDS
by Jairo Buitrago ; illustrated by Mariana Ruiz Johnson

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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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)