GRANDMOTHER'S VISIT

Name: GRANDMOTHER'S VISIT
Author: Betty Quan
ISBN: 978-1-55498-954-6

by Betty Quan ; illustrated by Carmen Mok ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 4, 2018

This sweet and gentle story about losing a loved one is emotionally lovely but likely to require some interpretation on the...

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Every morning, Grandmother says goodbye to a little girl after they walk to school—until one day, Grandmother says her final goodbye.

The book’s unnamed girl spends idyllic days with her grandmother from China, learning how to measure water for rice, listening to stories about China long ago, and eating pickled plums. Digital paintings in a muted palette of grays, pinks, and greens convey their quiet relationship. One day, Grandmother stops walking the girl to school and a sadness falls upon the household. Then, abruptly, Grandmother’s room is empty, and “A few days later, my grandmother is buried.” That night, the family follows a Chinese tradition to welcome their loved one’s spirit home for a final goodbye. Quan’s simple portrayal of a loving intergenerational bond draws readers in emotionally, but it lacks important details. Has the grandmother been living with the family for a long time, or was it, as the title suggests, a visit? It is unclear whether or not Grandmother fell ill, if she had dementia (she sometimes forgot her house keys), or how much time has passed between each scene. While the book is a sensitive portrayal of the death of a loved one, including an ending with closure, the story lacks contextual details, resulting in more questions.

This sweet and gentle story about losing a loved one is emotionally lovely but likely to require some interpretation on the parts of caregivers. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 4, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-55498-954-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Groundwood

Review Posted Online: June 10, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2025

A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.

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In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.

Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”

A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 25, 2025

ISBN: 9780063387843

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

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TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S VALENTINE
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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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...

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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)