Readers will relate to her disappointment and cheer her on as she comes to her own creative solution.
Irrepressible Mimi and her father have named the day after Friday Dadurday. It is their special day to do everything together. But when Dad’s work schedule changes, their weekend tradition is in jeopardy.
Mop-haired Mimi loves Dadurday. She and her dad make silly-shaped pancakes and read the comics, and each writes a list of activities to do for the rest of the day. Ideas that appear on both lists set the schedule. They have fun going to the library, riding bikes, splashing in puddles and playing checkers. So Mimi is understandably upset with the news that her father will no longer be at home on Saturdays. Suddenly the day has become Madurday or Sadurday. Mother is sympathetic but busy caring for baby twins. When her frustration and bad mood become too much, Mimi explodes in an impressive tantrum that lasts for three pages. But after she calms down, the perfect idea comes to her. Sidewalk chalk, craft supplies and balloons come out. Pancakes are made; party hats created. Dad is in for a happy surprise when he arrives. Pulver’s well-crafted story touches upon an all-too-common situation—parents’ work encroaching on family time. Alley combines watercolor, watercolor pencil, pen and ink to deftly portray Mimi as she grapples with her feelings about something beyond her control.
Readers will relate to her disappointment and cheer her on as she comes to her own creative solution. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 14, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8027-8691-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Walker
Review Posted Online: March 12, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2013
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
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
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)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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