Here’s hoping for a return of Bob and Flo…and for every preschooler to find a friendship like theirs.
On the first day of preschool, a bucket becomes the catalyst for a wonderful new friendship.
Flo arrives for her first day with a pink bow on her head and a red bucket filled with fish: her lunch. (All the characters are rather serious-looking penguins whose emotions are revealed through posture and body language.) The words on the pages follow Flo as she goes through her day, but the pictures tell a somewhat different story. “Flo tried some painting” appears on the verso, but the recto shows Bob, who admired Flo’s bucket on a previous page, eyeing said bucket. And a turn of the page reveals fish all over the ground and a missing bucket…and “something different” about Bob. The unflappable Flo fails to notice that Bob’s new hat is in fact her bucket and goes off to look for it, along the way noticing Bob building a tower (while perched atop the bucket), some sand castles outside (remarkably bucket-shaped), and Bob playing a new drum. Finally, during recess, Flo and her bucket are reunited and come to the rescue of Bob, and a new friend is made. Understated illustrations made of textured papers in muted tones keep the focus on the developing friendship and the slapstick humor.
Here’s hoping for a return of Bob and Flo…and for every preschooler to find a friendship like theirs. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-544-44430-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original...
A sweetened, condensed version of the best-selling picture book, The Kissing Hand.
As in the original, Chester Raccoon is nervous about attending Owl’s night school (raccoons are nocturnal). His mom kisses him on the paw and reminds him, “With a Kissing Hand… / We’ll never be apart.” The text boils the story down to its key elements, causing this version to feel rushed. Gone is the list of fun things Chester will get to do at school. Fans of the original may be disappointed that this board edition uses a different illustrator. Gibson’s work is equally sentimental, but her renderings are stiff and flat in comparison to the watercolors of Harper and Leak. Very young readers will probably not understand that Owl’s tree, filled with opossums, a squirrel, a chipmunk and others, is supposed to be a school.
Parents of toddlers starting school or day care should seek separation-anxiety remedies elsewhere, and fans of the original shouldn’t look to this version as replacement for their page-worn copies. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-933718-77-4
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Tanglewood Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
© 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.
