A charming tale exploring themes of change, migration, and resilience told from a child’s point of view.
In this German import, a little girl comes to understand that even though she cannot bring all her favorite things with her when she moves, she can keep them in her heart.
One day, a little girl’s papa says to her, “We’ll fly in an airplane to another country and live in a new house there.” Mama gives her daughter a new suitcase to pack her “most favorite things.” As the little girl makes a mental list—an aquarium; the wooden chair her grandpa made for her; her school bus driver, who always “sang songs with them”; and especially her very best friend, who is “such a good listener”—she realizes she can’t bring any of them with her. Sadly, she walks down to the docks by the ocean, also one of her favorite things. Then, looking out to the open sea, she has a brilliant idea and everything falls into place. Sarihi’s simple, heartfelt story is equally matched by Völk’s unfussy yet evocative illustrations. Blending fantasy and reality, her delicate line drawings are sparsely filled and deliberately surrounded by white space—calling attention to details and opening room for the imagination. The protagonist and her family have white skin and black hair; some background characters appear to be people of color.
A charming tale exploring themes of change, migration, and resilience told from a child’s point of view. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7331212-4-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Blue Dot Kids Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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
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