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THE POCKET BOOK

Put a basket next to the washing machine for pocket treasures after reading this.

Pockets are for holding hands, treasures, memories.

Mama buttons a child’s blue denim coat over a yellow dress, polka-dot tights, and green rain boots. The next spread shows the child’s outstretched hands holding the items from the coat’s pockets: “Here is a hike. / My hungry belly. / A hurt.” The artwork shows a partially eaten cracker, five jelly beans, a feather, several rocks, a pine cone, a lollipop’s stick, and a used Band-Aid. The words “Here is the ocean. / A wish. / Some sunshine” are paired with an image of some seashells, a piece of string, a Popsicle stick, some rocks, and driftwood, while opposite, the child holds a conch to an ear. A tree fits in a pocket—as an acorn—and home does, too, in the form of a key. Six seeds are “a promise,” “a wonder,” “a worry,” and then “a wow!”—a big sunflower. “In my pocket / I’ll keep this moment / to show you. / Because that’s / what pockets / are for.” Breckenreid’s illustrations charmingly highlight the denim jacket’s texture, and it looks like various natural items were also incorporated into some of the illustrations. Mom has light skin and straight red hair; the child has tan skin and slightly darker red hair.

Put a basket next to the washing machine for pocket treasures after reading this. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023

ISBN: 9781951836856

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Cameron Kids

Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023

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CLYDEO TAKES A BITE OUT OF LIFE

From the Clydeo series

An uplifting tale of family connection and self-discovery.

Drawing inspiration from her rescue dog Clyde, Emmy-winning actor Aniston tells the story of a pooch seeking his passion.

The Clyde family are a talented bunch of canines: Uncle Clydester adores surfing, Auntie Clydette digs for dinosaur bones, and Great-Grandma Cly-Clyde dances salsa. “Everyone [has] something that [makes] them stand out”—except for young Clydeo, who doesn’t feel special. Clydeo sets out to discover what he loves, guided by an optimistic mantra: “Take a bite out of life, I always say!” As he tries out various relatives’ hobbies, he asks for advice: How will he know when he’s found his “thing”? Grandpa Clyderton, the daredevil, says that his passion makes him “light up.” Second cousin Clydesto, who paints blindfolded, says that art makes his world brighter. Plucky, persistent Clydeo keeps searching. He finds answers while helping his mother cook for a big family meal. “Clydeo [feels] a warm feeling in his belly…He love[s] his family, and he love[s] cooking for them.” Clydeo’s notion of taking a bite out of life proves to be his thing—cooking. The alliteration of the family members’ names, their kernels of wisdom, and the book’s lovable protagonist make for a pleasurable, meaningful read. Jacob’s illustrations of big-eyed, expressive dogs exude charm and personality and make searching for one’s passion seem like utter joy.

An uplifting tale of family connection and self-discovery. (author’s note, photos) (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024

ISBN: 9780063372368

Page Count: 32

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

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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