A rousing story to kickstart conversations about growth and determination.
A student discovers a newfound confidence when she reframes her dreams of the future.
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Miss Rayna gives Charley and her classmates a daunting prompt as part of Dream Big Week. “I want to be an astronaut!” “I’m going to be a famous actor!” “I’m going to be an engineer!” Students excitedly spout off goals, inscribing their dreams on a pair of custom wings that Miss Rayna hands out. Charley doesn’t share her peers’ enthusiasm—she has no idea how to answer such a big question. As Charley’s anxiety swells, Reynolds uses color, tone, and perspective to show just how overwhelmed she feels; one particularly strong illustration depicts a rocket blasting off, reflected in her large round glasses, a look of dizzying panic on her face. Walking home, Charley feels frozen with uncertainty when she notices something that points her in the right direction—and has her feeling determined, confident, and ready for her wings. Reynolds conveys a message of perseverance, reassuring readers that it’s OK not to have all the answers. His airy, inspiring illustrations burst with warm orange tones. The story is sure to spark similar activities or dialogue among classrooms participating in their own Dream Big Week–type celebration. Charley is tan-skinned; her class is diverse.
A rousing story to kickstart conversations about growth and determination. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781339000350
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: yesterday
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2025
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A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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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
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