Samuel’s story comes to life through compassionately drawn characters, warm dialogue, and joyful illustrations.
Hoffman’s picture book features a young boy on the autism spectrum.
Samuel is a school-age boy with fair skin, light brown hair, and blue eyes who loves the color blue. When his teacher, Ms. Anderson, asks the class to draw pictures of their families, Samuel puts on his headphones and doesn’t hesitate to use his favorite color. While his classmates present pictures employing a veritable rainbow of hues, Samuel creates his own masterpiece exclusively in shades of blue. This prompts the wise teacher to explain, “Some of us use all the colours, and some of us use shades of only one. Even though our art may be different, each is just as special.” Samuel’s use of headphones in the classroom as well as nonverbal cues (like flapping his arms to indicate he’s ready to present his picture) allude to Samuel’s being on the autism spectrum—which elevates a great children’s book to the level of a culturally significant one. Mello’s illustrations splash across the pages with bright, bold colors and lines that draw the eye, perfectly complementing the text. The result is a touching story that all readers can enjoy. Those on the autism spectrum and their loved ones will find much-needed representation in this whimsical story that quietly speaks volumes.
Samuel’s story comes to life through compassionately drawn characters, warm dialogue, and joyful illustrations.Pub Date: Jan. 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781778071041
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Wishing Star Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Being kind and helpful lights up the day from within in this inspiring and idyllic slice-of-life tale.
Actor, social media star, and entrepreneur Brown pens a joyful paean to positive thinking in her children’s debut.
Brown-skinned Tab rides a strawberry-themed bike, accompanied by a curly-haired black dog, Grady. Tab’s dazzling smile and wide eyes signal the upbeat theme echoed in the text, celebrating the sun’s warmth, which “fills everyone up with joy.” But Tab’s mood shifts, as it’s a “cloudy and gray” June day. Alert readers will spot the dog’s smiling countenance and note glimpses of sunny yellow butterflies and flowers. Mama’s reassurance that there’s “always a chance” for sunshine also underscores the optimism. Tab and Grady bike through suburban streets “to find the sun.” Along the way, the two stop to assist a neighbor building a birdhouse, loft a kite for friends Frankie and Fonte, and lend a hand to others, all while still having fun. Mama steers Tab toward an eventual understanding of the real source of joy: Though the sun didn’t appear, “I brightened everyone’s day!” The illustrations subtly underscore the message of this radiant story as touches of gold lighten the palette, which ends with sunny brilliance. Most characters read Black, though Tab’s community includes people who vary in skin tone, body type, and ability.
Being kind and helpful lights up the day from within in this inspiring and idyllic slice-of-life tale. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 11, 2025
ISBN: 9780063342262
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 21, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
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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