While Maxwell’s advice about winning is pretty general, his message to turn failures into opportunities to learn is a good...
“Try your best”; “Winning isn’t everything”; “There’s no I in teamwork”; “Be a good sport”—these are not the lessons that Maxwell presents here. Instead, he lays out a loose framework for how to win and, when that fails, how to turn losses into learning experiences.
In rhyming verse that never falters (though is sometimes awkwardly phrased), Maxwell tells the story of two siblings who love to win. Their chosen sport is Woggleball, which appears to be a hybrid of lacrosse, basketball, and quidditch. But their first loss has Wendy giving up hope and Wade grumpy and discouraged. Their grandfather has some advice for them: “think positive thoughts,” “winning takes effort,” “win in small steps,” “stretch to get better.” Though none of Papa’s advice is very specific, Wendy and Wade take it to heart. They don’t win their next game but celebrate their marked improvement and practice hard, and the third game is a win. The text concludes with a note from Papa and an author’s note to parents that focus on the importance of helping kids stay positive and learn from their mistakes. Björkman’s pen, ink, and watercolor illustrations are bright and cartoony, full of exaggerated expressions and motion lines, depicting Wade and Wendy as white, with multiethnic teammates.
While Maxwell’s advice about winning is pretty general, his message to turn failures into opportunities to learn is a good one; here’s hoping kids hear it in Wendy and Wade’s tale. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 16, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-316-28408-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Nov. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2015
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
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.
Interior decorator and TV personality Gaines invites readers to open their eyes and exercise their imaginations.
There’s a world to be explored out there—and only children can really take part. What does “looking for wonder” entail? Slowing down and looking up, around, and everywhere. At the outset, a group of eager, racially diverse young friends—including one who uses a wheelchair—are fully prepared for a grand adventure. They offer tips about how and where to look: Why, there’s a “grand parade” of marching ants! And, these kids add, perspective is key. A rainy day might signal gloom to some, but to those filled with wonder, showers bring “magic puddles for play”; a forest is “an enchanted world,” the ocean conceals “a spectacular city,” and the night sky boasts “extraordinary sights.” The takeaway: “Wonder is never in short supply.” It’s a robust, empowering message, as is the exhortation to “keep your mind open, and let curiosity guide the way.” Youngsters are also advised to share their discoveries. The upbeat narrative is delivered in clunky verse, but the colorful cartoonish illustrations brimming with activity and good cheer (including some adorable anthropomorphized animals in the backgrounds) make up for the textual lapses and should motivate readers to embark on their own “wonder explorations.”
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781400247417
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tommy Nelson
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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