A well-intentioned but superficial take on Woolf’s famous piece.
Kephart uses Virginia Woolf’s essay to inspire children to find their own creative spaces.
In the opening spread of this picture book, Woolf, referenced only as “she,” steps out of her house, reduced to the size of a dollhouse, and appears in different spots in the garden. Lyrical text explains that “on and on and on she goes, / to that room she calls her own.” In the next scene—a soft, surreal one with the roof peeled back from her tiny house, with an oversized Woolf sitting up and sticking out of it and books flying away like birds—Kephart continues to explain that Woolf’s room is “her place to think. / Her place to dream. Her place to be.” From here, the author encourages readers to find their own rooms or creative spaces. Colorful watercolors in spot art and larger scenes depict diverse children under a tree, on a neighborhood sidewalk, at the kitchen table, under a bedsheet fort, and in more spaces. Serving as a guide, Woolf continues to make appearances along with the children until the last spread, which shows her beginning to write her influential feminist essay. A concluding author’s note finally alleviates potential confusion and vague references by identifying Woolf and her essay in text and a photograph. Still, though both the text and visuals are beautiful, the concept is a bit heady for the target audience, and the overall sentiment likely won’t connect with them. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A well-intentioned but superficial take on Woolf’s famous piece. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-951836-38-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cameron Kids
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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