Well-intentioned but muddled in message.
It starts with a few feathers, but by summer’s end Julianna has full body plumage.
Her parents support her, love her, and tell her she’s beautiful and unique. They even contact other parents, telling them of Julianna’s “rare and beautiful condition” and asking them to discuss it with their children. But there are stares, endless questions, avoidance, and outright bullying. Even children who had been her friends isolate her. She feels better when she flies, but soon she realizes that she is still alone. When she speaks up and defends herself, she discovers some kindred spirits, and they form a special flock of friends. Daphne has lizard scales, Geo has a fox’s tail, and others have their own animallike attributes. The anti-bullying, self-acceptance message is somewhat obscured by the new flock’s own cliquelike separation and the text’s failure to follow up with the bullies. Julianna tells her own tale in simple, accessible language that will warm readers to her plight, but the plot is disjointed, with fantasy elements that feel contrived and out of sync. Suspension of disbelief is definitely required. Metallinou’s brightly hued illustrations lovingly convey Julianna’s emotions, with touches of humor and compassion. Julianna and her parents present White. Both bullies and members of the new flock are diverse. Friends are White, Black, Asian—and furry, scaled, tailed, rabbit-toothed, and more.
Well-intentioned but muddled in message. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-8075-2329-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
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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