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I REMEMBER MISS PERRY

Name: I REMEMBER MISS PERRY
Author: Pat Brisson
ISBN: 0-8037-2981-2

by Pat Brisson & illustrated by Stéphane Jorisch ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2006

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Young Stevie and his classmates experience human loss for the first time when a beloved teacher dies. Stevie’s very nervous on his first day at a new school; his teacher Miss Perry takes him under her wing, explaining that she understands because she’s a new teacher. Her sense of fun and adventure excites the entire class; they put on makeshift bee costumes to surprise the principal on her birthday (they’re a “swarm” of well-wishers). One day, Miss Perry doesn’t show up for school. In the afternoon, after calling all the parents to join their children in their classroom, the principal breaks the news of Miss Perry’s death in a car accident. The last half of the story charts the children’s journey to acceptance, through puzzlement and sorrow and an appreciation of the joy Miss Perry brought to their lives. Jorish’s subtle watercolors effectively evoke the emotions of the characters without overpowering the text. A tasteful and valuable contribution. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: April 1, 2006

ISBN: 0-8037-2981-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2006

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THEY'RE HEROES, TOO
by Pat Brisson ; illustrated by Anait Semirdzhyan

- BOOK REVIEW
COMMON CRITTERS
by Pat Brisson ; illustrated by Dan Tavis

- BOOK REVIEW
BEFORE WE EAT
by Pat Brisson ; illustrated by Mary Azarian

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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)