Heartwarming and reassuring.
A child with Down syndrome learns to self-regulate during a trip to New York City.
Jamie is “unstoppable”—in fact, he’s a “SUPERHERO,” with an arsenal of gadgets. Headphones muffle loud noises, and “super focus” helps him stay calm. Most important is his red superhero cape. Jamie is so super that his photo will be displayed in Times Square as part of the Buddy Walk (backmatter explains that it’s an annual fundraiser sponsored by the National Down Syndrome Society). Mom, Dad, Jamie, and Jamie’s brother, Ben, travel to New York to see it. But when Jamie loses his headphones, the bustling big city puts his powers to the test. Amid a cacophony of sounds, Jamie huddles on the sidewalk, cape over his head. Is Jamie still a superhero? With his family’s support, Jamie realizes that he’s a superhero just for being himself. Warm, cartoon illustrations gently convey Jamie’s emotions and his family’s love. An author’s note explains that Jamie is based on Givens’ son Joshua, who has Down syndrome, and offers more information on the condition. However, Down syndrome is unnamed in the story. Not all readers will recognize its subtle depiction in Jamie’s facial features, and while the billboard mentions the National Down Syndrome Society, the tiny words are barely legible. Nevertheless, kids who sometimes find things “WAY too loud” will especially root for Jamie. Jamie, Mom, and Ben have light-brown skin; Dad has lighter skin. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Heartwarming and reassuring. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9781662505768
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2023
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
Why not? Fun, cheery, and entertaining: just the ticket for the perennially inquisitive—or perpetually bored.
In this follow-up to The Magical Yet (2020), a child finds an antidote to apathy.
Talk about ennui! The red-spectacled, brown-skinned, dark-haired young protagonist is listless and bored. The little one has tried everything: the computer, toys…YAWN! But as the rhyming narration bounces along at a sprightly clip, a visitor arrives at the door. It’s the Curious Why, who resembles a flowery, leafy artichoke. The Curious Why ushers the child along on an inspirational path to great fun and tremendous learning. “You’re only bored if you choose to be,” says the Curious Why. There’s an enormous world out there just waiting to be explored by anyone who’s willing to be a “knowledge-collector” and a “gotta-know creature.” In other words, kids should ask questions about everything going on in the world. Where does the Why go for answers to these queries? The library, of course! On the next spread, we see the protagonist reading a book atop a winged prehistoric creature while dinosaurs mill about in the background. Other kids explore their passions, too; one uses a telescope to study the stars, another bakes, and another learns about bees. DiTerlizzi offers youngsters an upbeat, sensible cure for a serious case of the blahs; it’s not necessarily guaranteed to work, but it’s definitely worth a try. Readers will love the colorful, energetic, swirling digital illustrations, especially those dinos. Background characters are diverse.
Why not? Fun, cheery, and entertaining: just the ticket for the perennially inquisitive—or perpetually bored. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9780316500142
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
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