While the often harsh realities of animal shelters and rescue animals are glossed over in this introduction to the subject,...
A little girl adopts a puppy and starts a program at an animal shelter in which children read to dogs and cats waiting for adoption.
The resourceful little girl gained confidence in her own reading abilities by reading out loud to a huge, white dog in the initial story, Madeline Finn and the Library Dog (2016). Now Madeline is adopting a puppy from a litter born to the dog who helped her in the library reading program. Madeline names her puppy Star and learns all about taking care of a new pet. When Madeline visits an animal shelter, she wants to help the dogs and cats feel loved. She designs her own volunteer program, enlisting other children to read to the animals at the shelter as well as donating towels and blankets. The cheerful story, narrated in first-person present-tense by Madeline, concludes with a lonely dog being adopted by a boy who is one of the volunteer readers. Charming, soft-focus illustrations in pencil and watercolor have an old-fashioned flavor, with appealing dogs and a quiet, pastel palette. Madeline and her mother present white, the shelter supervisor is a woman with brown skin and dark, curly hair, and the kids in the reading program include several children of color.
While the often harsh realities of animal shelters and rescue animals are glossed over in this introduction to the subject, the story provides a positive look at two ways of acquiring a new pet. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68263-075-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Nov. 25, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2018
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
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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