A warm, inclusive take on friendship and conflict resolution.
A child feels left out when her BFF meets someone new.
Sally and Sonia have been friends since they were “smaller than small,” sharing laughter, tears, and, after Sonia’s deafness is discovered, sign language. One day, Sally shares an idea that’s “greater than great”: planting a flower and vegetable garden. Sally and Sonia happily spend sunny days in their garden and rainy days in their clubhouse—until a young boy named Dev and his puppy, Pops, move in next door. Sally likes Dev but finds Pops too exuberant for her liking. So while Sonia spends her time with Dev and Pops, Sally sadly tends the garden and visits the clubhouse alone. One afternoon, Dev accidentally lets go of Pops’ leash, and the dog tramples the garden. Initially, Sally is “madder than mad,” but when she opens up about her loneliness, Sonia explains that Sally is still her best friend, and Dev is lonely after moving away from his own best friend. Dev, who’s learned some signs, apologizes, and Sally and Sonia welcome him and Pops to their clubhouse. The alliterative, rhythmic text makes for an ideal read-aloud, and the gentle resolution encourages communication and empathy. Characters’ matter-of-fact attitude toward Sonia’s deafness is refreshing, and Chen, herself deaf, clearly depicts their American Sign Language signs in sunny, expressive cartoon illustrations. Sonia has light skin; Sally and Dev have brown skin and curly hair.
A warm, inclusive take on friendship and conflict resolution. (glossary of signs, author’s and illustrator’s notes, resources) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9781665941693
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.
Interior decorator and TV personality Gaines invites readers to open their eyes and exercise their imaginations.
There’s a world to be explored out there—and only children can really take part. What does “looking for wonder” entail? Slowing down and looking up, around, and everywhere. At the outset, a group of eager, racially diverse young friends—including one who uses a wheelchair—are fully prepared for a grand adventure. They offer tips about how and where to look: Why, there’s a “grand parade” of marching ants! And, these kids add, perspective is key. A rainy day might signal gloom to some, but to those filled with wonder, showers bring “magic puddles for play”; a forest is “an enchanted world,” the ocean conceals “a spectacular city,” and the night sky boasts “extraordinary sights.” The takeaway: “Wonder is never in short supply.” It’s a robust, empowering message, as is the exhortation to “keep your mind open, and let curiosity guide the way.” Youngsters are also advised to share their discoveries. The upbeat narrative is delivered in clunky verse, but the colorful cartoonish illustrations brimming with activity and good cheer (including some adorable anthropomorphized animals in the backgrounds) make up for the textual lapses and should motivate readers to embark on their own “wonder explorations.”
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781400247417
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tommy Nelson
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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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