Books about daring protagonists who indulge their wild sides are numerous—this one can be skipped.
Lana Lynn is an odd sheep.
Her friend Shawn suggests she nibble grass and nap, but Lana Lynn (say it fast) wants to stay up late and howl. In search of adventure one night, she finds a strange hairy blanket, illustrated in smudgy gray, with surprising features: pointy ears, bushy tail, long nose, sharp teeth….Donning it, she enters the “wild woods” and encounters a pack of wolves who invite her to run with them. Lana Lynn enjoys herself! At their insistence, she joins the wolves for dinner but is dismayed to find a squirrel, a rabbit (both as cute as can be), and Shawn (with an apple in his mouth) on the menu. The digital, cartoon-style art depicts Lana Lynn and Shawn against a hot-orange background staring at each other with desperately big, googly eyes. “I love sheep!” Lana Lynn exclaims as she grabs her friend and runs. Shawn and Lana Lynn are content to return to the meadow, where Lana Lynn now only feels an occasional need to howl like an “intrepid, new wolf.” This leaves the uncomfortable collision between fantasy and reality largely unresolved. Young critical thinkers concerned about the fate of the squirrel, the rabbit, and, potentially, other sheep victims may question Lana Lynn’s choices.
Books about daring protagonists who indulge their wild sides are numerous—this one can be skipped. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68263-050-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: May 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.
Interior decorator and TV personality Gaines invites readers to open their eyes and exercise their imaginations.
There’s a world to be explored out there—and only children can really take part. What does “looking for wonder” entail? Slowing down and looking up, around, and everywhere. At the outset, a group of eager, racially diverse young friends—including one who uses a wheelchair—are fully prepared for a grand adventure. They offer tips about how and where to look: Why, there’s a “grand parade” of marching ants! And, these kids add, perspective is key. A rainy day might signal gloom to some, but to those filled with wonder, showers bring “magic puddles for play”; a forest is “an enchanted world,” the ocean conceals “a spectacular city,” and the night sky boasts “extraordinary sights.” The takeaway: “Wonder is never in short supply.” It’s a robust, empowering message, as is the exhortation to “keep your mind open, and let curiosity guide the way.” Youngsters are also advised to share their discoveries. The upbeat narrative is delivered in clunky verse, but the colorful cartoonish illustrations brimming with activity and good cheer (including some adorable anthropomorphized animals in the backgrounds) make up for the textual lapses and should motivate readers to embark on their own “wonder explorations.”
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781400247417
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tommy Nelson
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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