Potentially helpful but far too limited and exclusive in its scope.
A conversation starter about physical autonomy.
Famed sex therapist, educator, and Holocaust survivor Westheimer appears as an illustrated, unnamed narrator in this title aimed at helping children grapple with issues of consent, bodily autonomy, and confidence. The closing statement, “I’m in charge of my body! My body is just right for me!” encapsulates the heart of the book, but various missteps undermine its important message. Apart from the backs of two people’s heads on the last page, Westheimer’s illustrated character is the only human to appear since text and cartoon art use anthropomorphized animals to enact the instructive scenarios; this seems like a missed opportunity to present diverse people asserting themselves and listening to others. Also unfortunate is the exclusivity the often humorous, heartfelt, and well-intentioned text inadvertently promotes with line such as “Each of us has eyes for seeing…hands for touching…arms for reaching,” and “jump up and down. Do some jumping jacks. Then stand tall and make muscles with your arms,” which ignore readers with myriad disabilities. The misfortune of that erasure is highly ironic, considering the high incidence of abuse that disabled people experience, since this book attempts to empower children to speak up and seek help in scenarios where they feel vulnerable, violated, uncomfortable, or crowded.
Potentially helpful but far too limited and exclusive in its scope. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68115-551-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Apples & Honey Press
Review Posted Online: May 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
IN THE NEWS
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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