by Vicky Fang ; illustrated by Vicky Fang ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 6, 2024
The message here: Real pals build their friendships up.
Two robot pals decide that collaborating beats competing.
Block, who’s square and purple, and Blink, who’s round and blue, are ambling along when they notice an assortment of empty boxes. Each claims to have been the first to think of making a fort with them. They quarrel briefly; then, miffed, each sets about building a fort—alone. Before long, each robot is curious about what the other is doing. It turns out each robot constructed something simply to obstruct the other’s view. Then…surprise! Each friend’s better nature wins out. Blink and Block join forces, combine their separate cache of boxes, share tools and compliments, and decorate their collective project. By story’s end, the friends have proudly done what they set out to do—create “the best fort ever!” Kids will enjoy this cute, early-reader comic and want to befriend these two wide-eyed, jovial characters who prove that true pals resolve differences amicably and help each other. Emergent readers will find the text accessible, with a few basic sight words and simple sentences per page; vocabulary includes short and long vowels and vowel blends. The pages preceding the story contain useful tips to help children navigate comic panels and word balloons. Colorful, crisp illustrations are funny and uncluttered, allowing readers to focus on the action and the lively, expressive protagonists.
The message here: Real pals build their friendships up. (what is a robot?) (Graphic early reader. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780063289659
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperAlley
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
Share your opinion of this book
More In The Series
by Barbara Lehman ; illustrated by Barbara Lehman
by Maddie Frost ; illustrated by Maddie Frost
by Sarah Lynne Reul ; illustrated by Sarah Lynne Reul
More by Vicky Fang
BOOK REVIEW
by Vicky Fang ; illustrated by Vicky Fang
BOOK REVIEW
by Vicky Fang ; illustrated by Vicky Fang
BOOK REVIEW
by Vicky Fang ; illustrated by Saoirse Lou
by Joanna Gaines ; illustrated by Julianna Swaney ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 28, 2025
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.
Interior decorator and TV personality Gaines invites readers to open their eyes and exercise their imaginations.
There’s a world to be explored out there—and only children can really take part. What does “looking for wonder” entail? Slowing down and looking up, around, and everywhere. At the outset, a group of eager, racially diverse young friends—including one who uses a wheelchair—are fully prepared for a grand adventure. They offer tips about how and where to look: Why, there’s a “grand parade” of marching ants! And, these kids add, perspective is key. A rainy day might signal gloom to some, but to those filled with wonder, showers bring “magic puddles for play”; a forest is “an enchanted world,” the ocean conceals “a spectacular city,” and the night sky boasts “extraordinary sights.” The takeaway: “Wonder is never in short supply.” It’s a robust, empowering message, as is the exhortation to “keep your mind open, and let curiosity guide the way.” Youngsters are also advised to share their discoveries. The upbeat narrative is delivered in clunky verse, but the colorful cartoonish illustrations brimming with activity and good cheer (including some adorable anthropomorphized animals in the backgrounds) make up for the textual lapses and should motivate readers to embark on their own “wonder explorations.”
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781400247417
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tommy Nelson
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
Share your opinion of this book
More by Joanna Gaines
BOOK REVIEW
by Joanna Gaines ; illustrated by Julianna Swaney
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...
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
Share your opinion of this book
More by Tish Rabe
BOOK REVIEW
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings
BOOK REVIEW
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
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
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.