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TINY TROUBLES

Name: TINY TROUBLES
Author: Sophie Diao
ISBN: 9780063214460

NELLI’S PURPOSE

by Sophie Diao ; illustrated by Sophie Diao ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 9, 2024

Sweetly philosophical.

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Two plant pals seek meaning in life.

Nelli wants a purpose. Worthi doesn’t know what that is but suggests they search in the forest. With Worthi’s help, Nelli frees a frog stuck to a spiderweb. Then the pair meet an overturned stink bug; Nelli sets it upright. The bug suggests that Nelli “look…within” for her purpose, but Worthi decides they’ll continue looking “without.” Nelli’s now beset with worries. What if her purpose is in the ocean or outer space? Staunch ally Worthi calms her. Some bees suggest that Nelli start by thinking about what she most loves to do. Nelli responds that she enjoys being with Worthi. In the end, she believes she still hasn’t found her purpose, but Worthi reminds her—and readers—of their accomplishments today: helping others. Worthi makes it clear that Nelli unwittingly found her purpose after all by being kind and helpful; Worthi finds a purpose, too: being Nelli’s supportive friend. This message is delivered quite subtly, and kids may not pick up on it. Still, this comical, thought-provoking story will win hearts. The colorful digital illustrations, often set in vignettes or panels, burst with good cheer. With round heads and chubby little limbs, the anthropomorphized plants cut adorable figures. The characters’ dialogue is set in different colors in speech bubbles.

Sweetly philosophical. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: April 9, 2024

ISBN: 9780063214460

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
FROM PARK TO PLAYA
by Nell Cross Beckerman ; illustrated by Sophie Diao

- BOOK REVIEW
THE LOST WHALE
by Hannah Gold ; illustrated by Sophie Diao

- BOOK REVIEW
I AM GOLDEN
by Eva Chen ; illustrated by Sophie Diao

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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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)