by Sue Ganz-Schmitt ; illustrated by Shane Prigmore ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 4, 2016
The seamless additions of lessons on cooperation and kindness bring this to a new level, but it can’t top the original book...
Ganz-Schmitt and Prigmore continue the space theme and follow the cast and crew from Planet Kindergarten (2014) as they celebrate the 100th day of school and all that they have learned so far.
Kids who have experienced the 100th day in their own schools will certainly recognize many of things that go on in the narrator’s “capsule” on this special day, and those who haven’t will know what to look forward to, the highlight being each student’s presentation of 100 items collected from home. But a day this out-of-the-ordinary, no matter the school, is bound to have a few mishaps. Luckily, the narrator has learned some stuff on Planet Kindergarten that will help him navigate the problems: coaching a sick classmate to the nurse’s office, taking time to help a crewmate find her medal of honor, and avoiding a collision between a kicked ball and an incomplete rocket ship. But what about the huge mess created when the lid on the narrator’s box of 100 aliens gets stuck…and then suddenly flies off? Quick thinking saves the day, along with some good, old-fashioned cooperation: “Operation Cleanup is a go!” As in the first, Prigmore’s digital art is filled with retro details, bold colors, and the (mostly extraterrestrial) crewmates the brunet white boy calls friends.
The seamless additions of lessons on cooperation and kindness bring this to a new level, but it can’t top the original book for creativity. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4521-3776-6
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2016
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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
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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings
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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
by Christina Geist ; illustrated by Tim Bowers ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2022
Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient.
How do you make a new friend when an old one moves away?
Buddy (from Sorry, Grown-Ups, You Can’t Go to School, 2019, etc.) is feeling lonely. His best friend just moved across town. To make matters worse, there is a field trip coming up, and Buddy needs a bus partner. His sister, Lady, has some helpful advice for making a new pal: “You just need to find something you have in common.” Buddy loves the game Robo Chargers and karate. Surely there is someone else who does, too! Unfortunately, there isn’t. However, when a new student arrives (one day later) and asks everyone to call her Sunny instead of Alison, Buddy gets excited. No one uses his given name, either; they just call him Buddy. He secretly whispers his “real, official name” to Sunny at lunch—an indication that a true friendship is being formed. The rest of the story plods merrily along, all pieces falling exactly into place (she even likes Robo Chargers!), accompanied by Bowers’ digital art, a mix of spot art and full-bleed illustrations. Friendship-building can be an emotionally charged event in a child’s life—young readers will certainly see themselves in Buddy’s plight—but, alas, there is not much storytelling magic to be found. Buddy and his family are White, Sunny and Mr. Teacher are Black, and Buddy’s other classmates are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-30709-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
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by Christina Geist ; illustrated by Tim Bowers
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by Christina Geist ; illustrated by Tim Bowers
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