by Ashlyn Anstee ; illustrated by Ashlyn Anstee ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 21, 2015
A nifty take on the perennial question “Are we there, yet(i)?” and a prerequisite read-aloud before a first class field trip
Good things come to those who wait.
A colorful, multiracial class greets Yeti, the bus driver: “Where are we going, Yeti?” “It’s a surprise!” he announces. And so everyone piles into a school bus for a ride down what appears to be a never-ending road. They traverse a variety of bright landscapes: a packed city playground; a sandy stretch where children and animals play and grown-ups lie belly-up under beach umbrellas; a mountainside adorned with skiing ducks and a sleeping unicorn. Different countrysides emerge with every spread. At a point when the class declares hunger, thirst, boredom, and a need for bathroom stops, Yeti finally announces that they have indeed arrived. But they can’t be in the right place. Their puzzling destination is still, cold, and white—the obverse of the bustling landscapes they’ve crossed. “This is it?” asks an apprehensive boy—and then a group of young yetis emerge from their cave. The class, now wearing mittens and each paired up with a yeti buddy, frolics in the snow. One set forms snow angels; another builds a snow-yeti, while another group initiates a snowball fight. Employing a combination of expressive illustrations and simple dialogue in bubbles, Anstee delivers a simple, satisfying, if low-key debut.
A nifty take on the perennial question “Are we there, yet(i)?” and a prerequisite read-aloud before a first class field trip . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 21, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3089-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2015
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by Tabitha Brown ; illustrated by Olivia Duchess ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 11, 2025
Being kind and helpful lights up the day from within in this inspiring and idyllic slice-of-life tale.
Actor, social media star, and entrepreneur Brown pens a joyful paean to positive thinking in her children’s debut.
Brown-skinned Tab rides a strawberry-themed bike, accompanied by a curly-haired black dog, Grady. Tab’s dazzling smile and wide eyes signal the upbeat theme echoed in the text, celebrating the sun’s warmth, which “fills everyone up with joy.” But Tab’s mood shifts, as it’s a “cloudy and gray” June day. Alert readers will spot the dog’s smiling countenance and note glimpses of sunny yellow butterflies and flowers. Mama’s reassurance that there’s “always a chance” for sunshine also underscores the optimism. Tab and Grady bike through suburban streets “to find the sun.” Along the way, the two stop to assist a neighbor building a birdhouse, loft a kite for friends Frankie and Fonte, and lend a hand to others, all while still having fun. Mama steers Tab toward an eventual understanding of the real source of joy: Though the sun didn’t appear, “I brightened everyone’s day!” The illustrations subtly underscore the message of this radiant story as touches of gold lighten the palette, which ends with sunny brilliance. Most characters read Black, though Tab’s community includes people who vary in skin tone, body type, and ability.
Being kind and helpful lights up the day from within in this inspiring and idyllic slice-of-life tale. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 11, 2025
ISBN: 9780063342262
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 21, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
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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...
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
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