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CHALK THE WALK

Name: CHALK THE WALK
Author: Chelsea Tornetto
ISBN: 9781641709682

by Chelsea Tornetto ; illustrated by Laurel Aylesworth ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2025

Chalk this charmer up as a terrific exercise in creativity and camaraderie.

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Kids use bright chalk to enliven a drab urban brownstone block.

Sidewalks and walls go from dull to dazzling thanks to the handiwork of these young artists. Along the way, the children are cheered by their creations—and they inspire their neighbors to take part in enjoyable activities. Just watch that gray-haired elder cutting loose, cane in tow. The local saxophonist probably never realized that “chalk can elevate a song.” And the mail carrier joins in on a game of hopscotch. In the end, rainfall washes away the artwork—but no worries. That’s only a temporary setback, for the chalks can be brought out tomorrow to create new projects! The lively story is aptly expressed in jaunty verse. Rhythmic, repetitive wording (most sentences start with the phrase “Chalk is”) will encourage readers to chant along, too. Grays suffuse the backdrops early on, but more vibrant hues are slowly introduced, ending the narrative on an appropriately sunny note. Readers will be pleased to see that the story’s youngsters make like-minded new friends while going about their colorful business. The book makes another good point: “Chalk is better than a screen.” Kids will pick up some terrific ideas about sidewalk chalk projects of their own—works that could also be rendered on paper with chalk or other media. Characters are diverse.

Chalk this charmer up as a terrific exercise in creativity and camaraderie. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: April 1, 2025

ISBN: 9781641709682

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Familius

Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
SEASONS ON THE FARM
by Chelsea Tornetto ; illustrated by Karen Bunting

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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)

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

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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.

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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)