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HANNAH'S TALL ORDER

Name: HANNAH'S TALL ORDER
Author: Linda Vander Heyden
ISBN: 978-1-58536-382-7

AN A TO Z SANDWICH

by Linda Vander Heyden ; illustrated by Kayla Harren ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 15, 2018

A made-to-order toothsome tale.

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Just when you think there is no new way to present the alphabet, along comes Hannah and her order for a tall sandwich.

In this tale told in rhyming couplets, Hannah asks McDougal at the deli for an “A to Z sandwich” on thick, whole wheat bread. “Avocados and bean sprouts—fresh carrots galore. / Dill pickles, egg salad—those figs I adore!” In the double-page–spread illustration, Hannah gazes rapturously at the bits and pieces of sandwich fixings that McDougal is furiously chopping. “ ‘Green peppers,’ said Hannah, ‘sliced thin, if you please. / And drizzle on lots of sweet honey from bees.’ ” It’s alphabetical, though not necessarily everyone’s cup of tea. Marshmallow spread, nuts, olives, potatoes, and quinoa get stacked in order, followed by a radish, sunflower seeds, a tomato, and ugli fruit. Vanilla and whipped cream add a sweet touch with toppings of xouba fish, yam, and zucchini. Voilà! It’s the vivacious, messy, and deliciously appealing illustrations that turn the tale into a real romp. With curly red hair, pale skin, and freckles galore, Hannah is a charmer, seemingly unconcerned as olive-skinned McDougal grows increasingly sweaty and food-spattered. The alphabetical ingredients are for the most part readily recognizable, though readers are likely to side-eye that xouba fish (which the illustration reveals to be a sardine).

A made-to-order toothsome tale. (Picture book 4-8)

Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-58536-382-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press

Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
A HORSE NAMED JACK
by Linda Vander Heyden ; illustrated by Petra Brown

- BOOK REVIEW
MR. MCGINTY'S MONARCHS
by Linda Vander Heyden ; illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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A BIKE LIKE SERGIO'S

by Maribeth Boelts ; illustrated by Noah Z. Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 4, 2016

Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on...

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Continuing from their acclaimed Those Shoes (2007), Boelts and Jones entwine conversations on money, motives, and morality.

This second collaboration between author and illustrator is set within an urban multicultural streetscape, where brown-skinned protagonist Ruben wishes for a bike like his friend Sergio’s. He wishes, but Ruben knows too well the pressure his family feels to prioritize the essentials. While Sergio buys a pack of football cards from Sonny’s Grocery, Ruben must buy the bread his mom wants. A familiar lady drops what Ruben believes to be a $1 bill, but picking it up, to his shock, he discovers $100! Is this Ruben’s chance to get himself the bike of his dreams? In a fateful twist, Ruben loses track of the C-note and is sent into a panic. After finally finding it nestled deep in a backpack pocket, he comes to a sense of moral clarity: “I remember how it was for me when that money that was hers—then mine—was gone.” When he returns the bill to her, the lady offers Ruben her blessing, leaving him with double-dipped emotions, “happy and mixed up, full and empty.” Readers will be pleased that there’s no reward for Ruben’s choice of integrity beyond the priceless love and warmth of a family’s care and pride.

Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on children. (Picture book. 5-8)