Perfect as a gift book exchanged between kindred spirits, this could also spark interesting conversations about the role of...
A chance meeting that leads to a lasting friendship is lauded in rhyming text and jaunty illustrations.
Verde celebrates not just the bond between best friends, but also the somewhat abstract concept of serendipity by describing experiences that might have brought about a different result on the day she is describing. “What if I had slept in..?” or “...the weather had been stormy gray?” or “a rock in my shoe / had caused me to pause/ for a moment or two.” Simple language, small touches of humor and an engagingly earnest tone enable her to keep things sweet without descending into the overly saccharine or sentimental, but it still seems likely that her message will resonate more with adults than children. Reynolds’ artwork, created using ink, gouache, watercolor and tea (an unusual but appropriately cozy medium for an ode to friendship), brings Verde’s words down to earth and cheerfully to life. His pictures chronicle the accidental encounter and subsequent shared activities of a lanky, androgynous, anthropomorphic yellow cat and a purple feline of similar proportions. Illuminating and expanding the action, amusing tableaux offer charming details and some slyly humorous misdirection. The cats’ faces, though simply drawn, are expressive and appealing.
Perfect as a gift book exchanged between kindred spirits, this could also spark interesting conversations about the role of chance in our lives. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4197-1197-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2014
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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