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NOT ENOUGH LOLLIPOPS

Name: NOT ENOUGH LOLLIPOPS
Author: Megan Maynor
ISBN: 978-0-593-37256-2

by Megan Maynor ; illustrated by Micah Player ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 8, 2022

Even for the anti-confectionary crowd, a believable, relatable story that avoids a saccharine conclusion.

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A windfall of candy creates a philosophical dilemma for a kindhearted young girl.

When Alice wins the school raffle, she receives "a basket of lollipops so big, the principal pulled it onstage in a wagon.” She wants to share it with her classmates, but the elation of winning this sweet prize gives way to stress when it becomes clear that there may not be enough lollipops for everyone. Predictably, some students try to curry favor and sympathy with Alice, reminding her of their past acts of kindness toward her and regaling her with sob stories; "You're my only hope for candy till Halloween," one kid says mournfully. Other kids advise her to exclude certain students from her provision, claiming that the kindergarteners are too young to handle lollipops and suggesting that the new kids could be overlooked since Alice doesn’t know them very well. As the clamor grows, Alice has to make some hard decisions and learn that you can't please everyone. Luckily, the candy crisis works itself out so that there are more than enough sweets to go around…but what to do with the leftovers? Maynor's writing is flavored with wit and wrapped in moral subtleties. Player's retro-styled illustrations tie the hues of the lollipops to the children's colorful attire but never go overboard; there's plenty of drama around the crushing candy saga without overplaying the visuals. There is some racial diversity to Alice’s classmates, and one child uses a wheelchair. Alice reads as White.

Even for the anti-confectionary crowd, a believable, relatable story that avoids a saccharine conclusion. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Feb. 8, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-593-37256-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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HENRY AT HOME
by Megan Maynor ; illustrated by Alea Marley

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A HOUSE FOR EVERY BIRD
by Megan Maynor ; illustrated by Kaylani Juanita

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HELGA MAKES A NAME FOR HERSELF
by Megan Maynor ; illustrated by Eda Kaban

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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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TINY T. REX AND THE IMPOSSIBLE HUG

by Jonathan Stutzman ; illustrated by Jay Fleck ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2019

Wins for compassion and for the refusal to let physical limitations hold one back.

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With such short arms, how can Tiny T. Rex give a sad friend a hug?

Fleck goes for cute in the simple, minimally detailed illustrations, drawing the diminutive theropod with a chubby turquoise body and little nubs for limbs under a massive, squared-off head. Impelled by the sight of stegosaurian buddy Pointy looking glum, little Tiny sets out to attempt the seemingly impossible, a comforting hug. Having made the rounds seeking advice—the dino’s pea-green dad recommends math; purple, New Age aunt offers cucumber juice (“That is disgusting”); red mom tells him that it’s OK not to be able to hug (“You are tiny, but your heart is big!”), and blue and yellow older sibs suggest practice—Tiny takes up the last as the most immediately useful notion. Unfortunately, the “tree” the little reptile tries to hug turns out to be a pterodactyl’s leg. “Now I am falling,” Tiny notes in the consistently self-referential narrative. “I should not have let go.” Fortunately, Tiny lands on Pointy’s head, and the proclamation that though Rexes’ hugs may be tiny, “I will do my very best because you are my very best friend” proves just the mood-lightening ticket. “Thank you, Tiny. That was the biggest hug ever.” Young audiences always find the “clueless grown-ups” trope a knee-slapper, the overall tone never turns preachy, and Tiny’s instinctive kindness definitely puts him at (gentle) odds with the dinky dino star of Bob Shea’s Dinosaur Vs. series.

Wins for compassion and for the refusal to let physical limitations hold one back. (Picture book. 5-7)