An uplifting reminder that sometimes a good friend can help us through the seemingly toughest of hurdles.
Max overcomes his show-and-tell anxiety.
Max, a white dog with floppy ears and brown spots, is nervous for show and tell—it never seems to go well for him. But this time, a little voice whispers, “Dare to see what you can do.” So Max explains to his canine classmates, in rhyme, how he came up with something to bring to show and tell. As he searched his space-themed bedroom, he was at a loss until a “strange blue thingy” landed in his closet. Using telepathic bubbles, the astronaut told Max that his name was Moonbeam and that he came from the moon. Moonbeam shared moon tales, then asked Max to come to the moon to be his show and tell. At first, Max declined, but after Moonbeam praised Max’s courage and cleverness, the two soared off for an adventure in space. Show and tell on the moon was a hit, and Max asked Moonbeam to be his show and tell. Moonbeam agreed, but at the crucial reveal, the little blue alien isn’t there, although the ending is still spectacular. Moonbeam later explains he was right beside Max, encouraging him as any good friend would. Vibrant and detailed digitally created cartoon images add to the magic of this feel-good friendship story that will leave uncertain little ones feeling as bolstered as Max. Plenty of humor—including a couple of fart jokes—will appeal to kids. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An uplifting reminder that sometimes a good friend can help us through the seemingly toughest of hurdles. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 30, 2023
ISBN: 9780062990389
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2023
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 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
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