bookshelf

THINGS I LEARNED IN SECOND GRADE

Name: THINGS I LEARNED IN SECOND GRADE
Author: Amy Schwartz
ISBN: 0-06-050936-8

by Amy Schwartz & illustrated by Amy Schwartz ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2004

bookshelf

When red-headed Andrew started second grade, he didn’t know how to spell “should,” subtract 348 from 411, write in cursive, or read a chapter book. Now, at the end of the year, he can do all of those things, and more. This amiable slice-of-life account of a year at school doesn’t stop with academic achievements: Andrew discusses new friends and the loss of an old one, the growth of his family (Digger the hamster begets Tiger, Explorer, Speedy, and Racer—“Would anyone like a hamster?”), and some of the cosmic questions he’s puzzling through (“What is in everything pizza, anyway?”). Schwartz’s signature line-and-watercolor illustrations set against generous white space are clean and exactly on target, as is her sense of the average second-grader’s ambitions and concerns. It’s a gently affirming, sweetly positive exemplar that looks confidently forward to the third grade. Just right. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: July 1, 2004

ISBN: 0-06-050936-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2004

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
CINNAMON BUN, I LOVE YOU 1
by Amy Schwartz ; illustrated by Amy Schwartz

- BOOK REVIEW
100 THINGS I KNOW HOW TO DO
by Amy Schwartz ; illustrated by Amy Schwartz

- BOOK REVIEW
13 STORIES ABOUT HARRIS
by Amy Schwartz ; illustrated by Amy Schwartz

bookshelf

ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

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...

bookshelf

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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

bookshelf

IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

bookshelf

A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)