bookshelf

ADVENTURE ANNIE GOES TO KINDERGARTEN

Name: ADVENTURE ANNIE GOES TO KINDERGARTEN
Author: Toni Buzzeo
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3358-9

by Toni Buzzeo & illustrated by Amy Wummer ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2010

bookshelf

The first day of school is going to be an adventure, but what kind? A “wild animal zoo adventure”? A “high-flying circus adventure”? A “daring search-and-find rescue adventure”? Unfortunately, it seems as though the so-called “kindergarten adventure” has more to do with following Gold Star Rules than actually having adventures—which has red-caped Adventure Annie wondering just what’s going on. Although she violates several of the Rules, she never loses her enthusiasm, and this ebullience stands her in good stead when the milk fetchers get lost and she finally gets her chance to shine. Buzzeo’s dauntless heroine’s attitude is infectious, and Wummer gives the curly-mopped tyke all the visual verve she deserves. A couple of nice touches: The kindergarten teacher is a man and the principal is a black woman. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: May 1, 2010

ISBN: 978-0-8037-3358-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: June 3, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2010

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
LIGHT COMES TO SHADOW MOUNTAIN
by Toni Buzzeo

- BOOK REVIEW
PA, ME, AND OUR SIDEWALK PANTRY
by Toni Buzzeo ; illustrated by Zara González Hoang

- BOOK REVIEW
EAT YOUR SUPERPOWERS!
by Toni Buzzeo ; illustrated by Serge Bloch

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)