bookshelf

WAYS TO MAKE FRIENDS

Name: WAYS TO MAKE FRIENDS
Author: Jairo Buitrago
ISBN: 978-1-77164-975-9

by Jairo Buitrago ; illustrated by Mariana Ruiz Johnson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 30, 2022

A refreshing, candid consideration of making friends with others at one’s own tempo.

bookshelf

Friendship can blossom in unexpected ways.

“To make friends you should sit under a huge tree,” states an unseen narrator. And so, a young toad does, passing the minutes in the cool shade while waiting for a friend. Or perhaps rescuing a bee in a fountain might result in a new friend. So what if the insect is quick to anger? After all, “sometimes bees can be bad tempered.” To make friends, consider saying hi 40 times to “the shy kid who never says hi to anyone,” dressing up as fruit and sharing fruit, or even befriending a cactus that’s “nice and calm and quiet” and a great secret keeper. And when the day grows long and fatigue sets in, spending time with oneself—to read, draw, imagine—is also rewarding. With all of these tips and more, this sublime picture book offers gentle guidance to all readers, from reluctant youngsters in prickly social situations to more experienced friendship seekers needing a refresher. Peppered among moments of pure hilarity and suggested creative outlets are nuggets of encouragement meant to bolster compassion. Featuring a cast of excellently depicted anthropomorphic animals, the colorful, buoyant artwork—predominantly in orangy reds and mint greens—impresses due to its flair and secondary details. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A refreshing, candid consideration of making friends with others at one’s own tempo. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-77164-975-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Greystone Kids

Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE SMALL HILL WHERE THE GIRLS TAKE OFF THEIR SHOES
by Jairo Buitrago ; illustrated by Linda Wolfsgruber ; translated by Elisa Amado

- 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

bookshelf

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...

bookshelf

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

bookshelf

IMANI'S MOON

by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by Hazel Mitchell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 14, 2014

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...

bookshelf

Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.

The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)