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SOMETHING HAPPENED TO OUR PLANET

Name: SOMETHING HAPPENED TO OUR PLANET
Author: Marianne Celano
ISBN: 978-1-4338-4072-2

KIDS TACKLE THE CLIMATE CRISIS

by Marianne Celano & Marietta Collins ; illustrated by Bhagya Madanasinghe ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 4, 2023

Attempting to counter mental stress, this tale instead offers dubious comfort.

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Friends bravely address climate change concerns.

Intended to assuage children’s worries about the climate crisis, this story begins with familiar information: on trees, rising ocean temperatures, reuse versus recycling. After planting a few trees, the narrator, who presents Black, and their diverse friends search their school for reuse opportunities. They land on lunch trays, advocating a switch from disposable to reusable trays—eventually convincing the PTA to fund their idea. Anxiety is presumably alleviated by action. But are these trays metal? Were the old ones paper? What about water, energy, and detergent to wash the new ones? Unaddressed. Readers are twice misleadingly assured that “If we do our part, nature heals itself.” Backmatter, in a small font, admits that “climate-fueled disasters” are a current crisis, contradicting the narrator’s mom’s false assurance that “these [climate] changes won’t hurt us now.” The author acknowledges in a note that systemic action (government, industry) is necessary, but it is never mentioned in the story. Voting is not a recommended action step in the backmatter. Earth-toned illustrations are appealing—though in one scene, the kids appear to snorkel submerged. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Attempting to counter mental stress, this tale instead offers dubious comfort. (glossary, sample child-parent questions, website with more information) (Informational picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 4, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-4338-4072-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Magination/American Psychological Association

Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
SOMETHING HAPPENED IN OUR PARK
by Ann Hazzard & Marianne Celano & Marietta Collins ; illustrated by Keith Henry Brown

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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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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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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)