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TULIP AND LUPIN FOREVER

Name: TULIP AND LUPIN FOREVER
Author: Mireille Levert
ISBN: 978-0-88899-914-6

by Mireille Levert and illustrated by Mireille Levert and translated by Elisa Amado ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2009

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Tulip, the watering fairy, and her dog bee, Lupin, are best friends. They breakfast at the same table, tend the fields of flowers together and howl when the moon is full. Dog bees don’t live as long as watering fairies, however, and Lupin passes on. Tulip is so sad she heads out for parts unknown to explore. She meets a sea turtle and spends time on a beach, but quickly becomes homesick. On her return she finds a baby dog bee to care for, though she’ll never forget Lupin. This French Canadian tale of pet loss is workmanlike at best. The fey nature of the whole concept of “watering fairy” and “dog bee” seems out of place when they appear in the context of more conventional animals, and Tulip’s job seems unnecessary, given that her absence does not affect her flowers. Her emotions never feel as strong as readers are told they are, and the bright watercolor illustrations rarely pick up the somber mood of the tale. As evanescent as its subjects. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 1, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-88899-914-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Groundwood

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2009

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
A WIZARD IN LOVE
by Mireille Levert and illustrated by Marie Lafrance

- BOOK REVIEW
THE PRINCESS WHO HAD ALMOST EVERYTHING
by Mireille Levert & illustrated by Josée Masse

- BOOK REVIEW
EDDIE LONGPANTS
by Mireille Levert & illustrated by Mireille Levert & translated by Sarah Quinn

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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)