A sweet, upbeat guide to cultivating optimism in young children.
Where there’s even a little light, there can still be a lot of hope.
“One little light / cannot light the whole sky… / but it is enough / to begin.” This mantra, or variations of it, is repeated often in this calm, economically worded, softly empowering picture book that offers reassurance to youngsters when they find themselves in darkness or overwhelmed by fear. Darkness, of course, can mean several things—literal darkness, as when children find themselves alone at bedtime after lights are turned out, or darkness of spirit, as when little ones feel downcast, lonely, hopeless, or unsafe. No matter what kind of darkness children are confronting, the book suggests there’s always a glimmer of hope to hold on to if readers remember they have a small spark of light within themselves—sufficient to light the way toward self-confidence and a brighter outlook. This is an uplifting idea, but perhaps it will ring truer and more meaningfully for adults than youngsters. The book might best be shared one-on-one as a laptime read between children and trusted grown-ups, with adults encouraging rich follow-up conversations and explorations of feelings or personal experiences. The delicate, lovely illustrations, rendered in gouache, charcoal, and pastel, feature spirited, racially diverse children. As the text proceeds, more light and colors pervade the pages. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A sweet, upbeat guide to cultivating optimism in young children. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9780063094963
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023
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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