A simple search-and-find with an easy message for curious, perceptive young readers.
A lone, melancholy protagonist changes its floor-staring routine to engage with new friends and the world around it.
As pedestrians walk past Serch (a fuzzy creature with a ghostly complexion, morose expression, and downward-facing gaze), they all offer the same friendly greeting: “Hello, what are you doing?” Without looking up, Serch responds simply: “Searching.” Ramona the Bear rides past on a bicycle; Rosita (aptly rose-colored) skateboards past, ladder in hand and a pink cape flapping behind; cowboy-boots–wearing Trish and Tresh carry a tree between the two; and Orange and Lemon drive a three-wheeled truck stocked with grapes and watermelons, the word “Frutas” written on its door. Across a double-page spread split into four panels, a pink bird wearing glasses flies over Serch. “Suddenly, an unexpected thing landed on its head,” and only then does Serch look up. The spreads that follow are colorful, full of myriad fanciful creatures, houses, trees, sun, moon, constellations, and more. Therein a search-and-find ensues. This import features digital media, and de Dios does a fair job of creating unpretentious, fun compositions. The concluding spread includes free space on which young readers can doodle, and the detailed endpapers showcase various objects scattered throughout the book in the front and the characters in the back; these interactive elements will help this story find fans.
A simple search-and-find with an easy message for curious, perceptive young readers. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: June 14, 2016
ISBN: 978-84-942929-8-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: NubeOcho
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A bit predictable but pleasantly illustrated.
Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault’s classic alphabet book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) gets the Halloween treatment.
Chung follows the original formula to the letter. In alphabetical order, each letter climbs to the top of a tree. They are knocked back to the ground in a jumble before climbing up in sequence again. In homage to the spooky holiday theme, they scale a “creaky old tree,” and a ghostly jump scare causes the pileup. The chunky, colorful art is instantly recognizable. The charmingly costumed letters (“H swings a tail. / I wears a patch. J and K don / bows that don’t match”) are set against a dark backdrop, framed by pages with orange or purple borders. The spreads feature spiderwebs and jack-o’-lanterns. The familiar rhyme cadence is marred by the occasional clunky or awkward phrase; in particular, the adapted refrain of “Chicka chicka tricka treat” offers tongue-twisting fun, but it’s repeatedly followed by the disappointing half-rhyme “Everybody sneaka sneak.” Even this odd construction feels shoehorned into place, since “sneaking” makes little sense when every character in the book is climbing together. The final line of the book ends on a more satisfying note, with “Everybody—time to eat!”
A bit predictable but pleasantly illustrated. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781665954785
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
