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FAITH TAKES THE TRAIN

A lovely experience of wonder and empathy.

Faith rides the New York City subway with Mama, finding ways to connect with others along the way.

On the train ride home from Grandma’s house, Faith pulls out a peanut butter sandwich (“gooey with honey from Grandma’s beehive”) and enjoys a sweet bite. Then a man named Isaiah who’s fallen on hard times asks if anyone can spare some change. Faith recognizes him. Everyone looks away from him, silent. Faith catches his eye, peanut butter still sticking to the child’s teeth. Heart thumping, Faith offers him the last of the sandwich. He enjoys it tremendously. As they leave the train, Faith wonders what kind of peanut butter Isaiah likes. The youngster imagines having piles of sandwiches with Isaiah and his son; Faith comes up with an idea for the next ride. This delectable story does a lovely job of presenting a child’s view of the sights and sounds of the subway. The moments surrounding Isaiah’s plea for help—busy riders looking away or distracted—ring true and encourage reflection. Mokshini’s energetic artwork makes impressive use of color and shadow, perspective, varied composition, and lines to immerse readers in the world of the train’s interior and the stations; readers will feel delivered from underground when Faith and Mama finally emerge on the street. Faith, Mama, and Isaiah present Black; other characters are diverse.

A lovely experience of wonder and empathy. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 11, 2025

ISBN: 9780063251342

Page Count: 40

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

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

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GRUMPY MONKEY

Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his...

It’s a wonderful day in the jungle, so why’s Jim Panzee so grumpy?

When Jim woke up, nothing was right: "The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, and bananas were too sweet." Norman the gorilla asks Jim why he’s so grumpy, and Jim insists he’s not. They meet Marabou, to whom Norman confides that Jim’s grumpy. When Jim denies it again, Marabou points out that Jim’s shoulders are hunched; Jim stands up. When they meet Lemur, Lemur points out Jim’s bunchy eyebrows; Jim unbunches them. When he trips over Snake, Snake points out Jim’s frown…so Jim puts on a grimacelike smile. Everyone has suggestions to brighten his mood: dancing, singing, swinging, swimming…but Jim doesn’t feel like any of that. He gets so fed up, he yells at his animal friends and stomps off…then he feels sad about yelling. He and Norman (who regrets dancing with that porcupine) finally just have a sit and decide it’s a wonderful day to be grumpy—which, of course, makes them both feel a little better. Suzanne Lang’s encouragement to sit with your emotions (thus allowing them to pass) is nearly Buddhist in its take, and it will be great bibliotherapy for the crabby, cranky, and cross. Oscar-nominated animator Max Lang’s cartoony illustrations lighten the mood without making light of Jim’s mood; Jim has comically long arms, and his facial expressions are quite funny.

Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his journey. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: May 15, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-553-53786-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018

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