A sweet addition to the back-to-school shelf.
A peek into a classroom that may ease some little ones’ first-day jitters.
This isn’t just any ordinary classroom; this one has anthropomorphic animal students, a fox teacher, and two worms for comic relief. Bear, Duck, Turtle, Rabbit, Porcupine, and Hedgehog make sure to follow the school rules: “be on time…and ready to learn,” listen, work individually and together, play, clean up, line up, be polite, “look out for each other,” “give new things a chance,” “share ideas,” express yourself, and take pride in your work. Readers follow along as the students go through a typical school day full of familiar or expected activities and sights: sitting at tables, raising hands, recess, classroom shelves of books and toys, lunch, the ever popular parachute in gym, sharing time, art. Along the way, the two worms will likely crack children up with their antics: They form the number 11 at the top of the hopscotch board and play their own version of parachute with a leaf; during sharing time, one flies across the room in a paper airplane. Fleck’s pencil-and-digital illustrations bring to life the care the students feel for and show one another, and George has a couple sentences that really hit at the heart of the matter: “Mistakes are part of learning,” and “we try to be our best. Not the best. Our best.” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A sweet addition to the back-to-school shelf. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9780593378786
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Rodale Kids
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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
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