bookshelf

SHU LIN'S GRANDPA

Name: SHU LIN'S GRANDPA
Author: Matt Goodfellow
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2315-6

by Matt Goodfellow ; illustrated by Yu Rong ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 13, 2022

Empathetic but subtle storytelling.

bookshelf

Being the new kid isn’t easy.

Shu Lin, in her bright yellow rain boots and pink coat, arrives at school. “She didn’t speak English very well,” readers are informed. At recess, she stands at the edge of the playground despite an invite to jump rope. At lunch, stares continue as Shu Lin unpacks her lunch. Narrator Dylan, who was also the new kid once, remembers that feeling of not being at home while observing the interactions between Shu Lin and the other kids. When Shu Lin’s grandpa arrives in class one day to share his paintings, some students are skeptical. Barney, who throughout offers especially pointed remarks about Shu Lin, asks, “What’s the point if he can’t even speak English?” But Shu Lin’s grandpa’s art speaks volumes. When he leaves, the students try their hands at their own ink drawings. Here, Shu Lin opens up, showing her inexperienced classmates how to hold a brush properly and how to make smooth strokes. By the end of the school day, classmates share smiles and laughs. This is a simple narrative that leaves a quiet impression. Yu's selective use of solid colors and pattern-blocking among the sketched-drawing style brings focus to specific characters and their expressions. A gatefold of Shu Lin’s grandpa’s inky landscape painting invites readers into the classroom alongside the characters. Shu Lin and her grandfather are cued Chinese; other students, including Dylan and Barney, are depicted as light-skinned.

Empathetic but subtle storytelling. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-5362-2315-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

bookshelf

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...

bookshelf

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

bookshelf

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.

bookshelf

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)