Welcome proof that seasons may come and go, but friendship is forever.
Friendship can be found in the most unexpected places.
Iris, a dark blue swallow with a bright yellow chest, is the first to arrive at the forest every spring after her flock’s winter migration. As the wind signals cooler weather, the birds start preparing for their annual flight. Curious Iris asks, “What happens to the forest when we leave?” No one knows, so she decides to stay during the frigid season. With the emergence of a sudden snowstorm, Iris is ill prepared for this change and falls asleep in a snowdrift. Thankfully, a helpful squirrel named Sam rescues her from a cruel fate and takes her to his humble arboreal abode, where they keep warm and bond. Another year passes, and Iris decides to join her flock in their yearly winter exodus. Sam is sad yet knows that Iris must go. When Iris returns the following spring, she eagerly reunites with her forever friend; he hitches a ride on her back as they soar over their beloved forest. This is a lovely story of having the courage to stray from the crowd, chart one’s own path, and cherish the friendships made along the way. The text, translated from French, scans nicely and complements the blocky geometric patterns of the vibrant illustrations, showcasing the cool harshness of winter and the colorful emergence of spring.
Welcome proof that seasons may come and go, but friendship is forever. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2024
ISBN: 9781778400865
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Greystone Kids
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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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