An excellent choice for children who are dealing with the loss of a loved one or just learning about death.
Death is a particularly difficult topic to discuss with children, but this book helps to broach the subject gently and with respect for young people’s sensibilities.
The book opens with the statement “My dear one. Life, like spring, is far too short” accompanied by a picture of a flower with some petals falling off and blowing in the wind. This double-page spread is followed by a series of patterned statements that describe what life will be like for readers when the person they love is no longer alive, both describing reality and offering comfort. “I will not always be…” is coupled with, “But you’ll find me…” in places and moments such as “the flicker of candlelight, the pause between Please and Thank you.” The repeated phrase “I will not always be…” and the ellipsis take on a double meaning, a gentle reminder that one day this person the child loves “will not always be.” The book does not mention an afterlife or make ecclesiastical references; however, birds, butterflies, and candle flames in the illustrations are known to symbolize those who have died in some cultures. As there is no significance given to their presence in the text, this book is beneficial for both children of varying faiths and those who come from homes without a faith tradition. The illustrations are done in a palette of bright but calming pastels, and the children in the illustrations have skin ranging from white to light brown and varying hair types and colors. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-16-inch double-page spreads viewed at 75% of actual size.)
An excellent choice for children who are dealing with the loss of a loved one or just learning about death. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 22, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4338-3126-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Magination/American Psychological Association
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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