A noble look at the courage needed for honesty.
A pangolin must decide whether or not to lie to the Queen.
With a great big smile on his face, Pangolin is swinging in the sunshine on the palace grounds. But suddenly, to his horror, the swing breaks. “Heavens! What have I done? And what will I tell the Queen?” Pangolin consults his friends for advice. Badger suggests saying that a royal musician needed the strings for a lute. Goose has an even stranger idea: “Perhaps you can say that a giant bird mistook the ropes for worms.” And Pug? Well, Pug suggests blaming aliens. Fox and Cat also contribute possibilities. Stammering and quaking, Pangolin must make a decision. What will he tell the Queen? Lush, jewel-toned illustrations thrum with warmth; outside the palace, the rolling landscape is filled with endless flowers and swooping trees. Inside, ornate windows and scalloped archways present a truly royal atmosphere. Beatty expertly taps into a childlike perspective; she’s keenly aware that to avoid trouble, youngsters often spin fantastical explanations and that the push and pull of truth-telling can result in an agonizing internal debate. Luckily, all ends well when Pangolin finally decides to own up to the Queen—and the conclusion will point readers in the right direction when facing similar conundrums. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A noble look at the courage needed for honesty. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-18013-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Anne Schwartz/Random
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.
Interior decorator and TV personality Gaines invites readers to open their eyes and exercise their imaginations.
There’s a world to be explored out there—and only children can really take part. What does “looking for wonder” entail? Slowing down and looking up, around, and everywhere. At the outset, a group of eager, racially diverse young friends—including one who uses a wheelchair—are fully prepared for a grand adventure. They offer tips about how and where to look: Why, there’s a “grand parade” of marching ants! And, these kids add, perspective is key. A rainy day might signal gloom to some, but to those filled with wonder, showers bring “magic puddles for play”; a forest is “an enchanted world,” the ocean conceals “a spectacular city,” and the night sky boasts “extraordinary sights.” The takeaway: “Wonder is never in short supply.” It’s a robust, empowering message, as is the exhortation to “keep your mind open, and let curiosity guide the way.” Youngsters are also advised to share their discoveries. The upbeat narrative is delivered in clunky verse, but the colorful cartoonish illustrations brimming with activity and good cheer (including some adorable anthropomorphized animals in the backgrounds) make up for the textual lapses and should motivate readers to embark on their own “wonder explorations.”
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781400247417
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tommy Nelson
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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
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