bookshelf

WALTER FINDS HIS VOICE

Name: WALTER FINDS HIS VOICE
Author: Ann Kim Ha
ISBN: 9781636550503

THE STORY OF A SHY CROCODILE

by Ann Kim Ha ; illustrated by Ann Kim Ha ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2023

Emboldens readers with the knowledge that bravery is not the absence of fear.

bookshelf

A timid crocodile learns to express himself.

Walter likes to skim through the water with just his eyes visible—not to sneak up on possible prey but because he is shy. Walter’s inner voice is filled with self-doubt. When seeing his aquatic friends having fun, Walter anxiously wonders, “WHAT IF I SAY SOMETHING WRONG? WHAT IF THEY LAUGH AT ME? WHAT IF I SCARE THEM AWAY?” Walter slowly slinks back down below the surface, out of sight. But one morning the heron twins are bullying Walter’s friend Turtle. As the birds toss him back and forth like a ball, Walter pushes through his fear and shouts (across a double-page spread, with his toothy mouth open wide), “STOP MESSING WITH MY FRIEND!” In that moment, Walter learns that even a gentle soul can be filled with courage—and being brave doesn’t mean you don’t still get scared or nervous. In Ha’s picture-book debut, soothing green and blue watercolors deftly mirror Walter’s watery habitat and his quiet nature. Quirky details (at a party for Walter and his friends, Turtle, balloons tied to his tail, inadvertently starts to levitate) and expressive eyes on the full cast—even when that is all readers can see of Walter—brim with warmth and personality. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Emboldens readers with the knowledge that bravery is not the absence of fear. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: May 2, 2023

ISBN: 9781636550503

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Red Comet Press

Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A FRIEND FOR EDDY
by Ann Kim Ha ; illustrated by Ann Kim Ha

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)