A moving and imaginative tale to heal tender hearts.
A shadow helps an Indigenous boy see things differently.
Zoon is constantly trailed by the shadow, a doglike gray trickster creature with an elongated body and limbs who makes messes and teases the boy’s classmates—misbehavior that unfairly lands Zoon in trouble. Frustrated, Zoon turns to Nookomis, his wise grandmother. Playing a drum that once belonged to Zoon’s grandfather, she tells him that the heirloom is “called a dewe’igan, the sound of the heart. Use it when you need help guiding your own.” When Zoon’s accosted by the shadow later, his attempts to calm the creature by banging the drum only anger it, and it grows in size. But when Zoon slows the beat, his spirit dances in the sky. When the boy learns to rely on his inner strength, the shadow transforms into a loving companion. In the backmatter, Pawis-Steckley (Anishinaabe) discusses the trope of the trickster character, someone who makes mischief but often teaches important lessons. His fast-paced story and dramatic art will be immensely captivating to a young audience. The vivid graphic art, embedded with Anishinaabe motifs, intensifies as the adventure progresses; as the shadow looms large, the palette is dominated by moody blues and purples. Why Zoon was visited by the shadow is never made explicitly clear (Pawis-Steckley’s note alludes to “a certain darkness” and “overwhelming sadness” he experienced as a child), but the story offers readers the space to ponder that question for themselves.
A moving and imaginative tale to heal tender hearts. (glossary) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780316574518
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
