Young readers will want to sit with this pair. They’re made for each other.
A child and dog forge a life-altering bond.
A scruffy brown dog meets a child on the street. Knowing intuitively they’re meant to be together, it politely inquires, “May I ask you a question?” and later asks, “Can I sit with you?” The first-person narration assures the child it will remain “familiar, loyal, true” through shyness, loneliness, tears, and good times. Child and dog soon ride around town (on the subway and a basket-equipped bike), take walks, and frolic. As the simple text and lush illustrations clarify, a gradual, subtle shift in the duo’s relationship dynamic occurs. The child, initially portrayed as a loner, eventually engages with the world with self-confidence and makes friends—as does the dog. The dog accepts it’s OK they won’t always sit alone together but knows its companion will always return: “I’ll understand the stray in you. It is in my nature, too.” At the end, the child (depicted with straight, dark hair and pale skin) returns to the jubilant pup from a “ramble” to these promising words: “I will sit with you.” But the takeaway is tantalizing: Who’s speaking to whom? This sweet, lovely tale should spark thoughtful conversations about friendship and empathy between children and adults. Pastel and watercolor illustrations brim with color and emotion, mirroring the protagonists’ light and occasional somber feelings with every page turn.
Young readers will want to sit with this pair. They’re made for each other. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 9, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4521-6464-9
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 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.
