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WHERE DID BENJAMIN GO?

Name: WHERE DID BENJAMIN GO?
Author: Chris Clarkson
ISBN: 9781419757273

by Chris Clarkson ; illustrated by Annalise Barber ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 19, 2023

Big grief in a small package shows us a complicated sort of healing.

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An illustrated love letter to a lost loved one.

On a snowy day, young Charlie is solemnly reminiscing about big sibling Benjamin until Daddy suggests that the young narrator make a list of things about Benjamin: “My top favorite things to do with you.” Watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations depict memories of the two smiling brown siblings—one tall, with cornrows and long, protective, curvy arms, the other smaller, wide-eyed, with short locs. Musical notes, flowers, and a football flow behind them. Charlie’s list is a long one that ranges from pickling vegetables to watching dolphins; it also includes “carousels / and bumper cars / and funnel cakes.” Benjamin’s absence is felt by Mommy and Daddy and even the piano, according to Charlie, who remembers the good times but visibly struggles today. As Charlie reflects on the pool game Marco Polo, the illustrations heartbreakingly show the child searching for a sibling who can no longer be found beneath the bed or in the bathroom. Both readers and Charlie are left to wonder, “Where did you go, Benjamin?” Though there isn’t a clear answer, the focus on the warm, flowery, exciting, and loving memories is as effective as it is bittersweet.

Big grief in a small package shows us a complicated sort of healing. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023

ISBN: 9781419757273

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Abrams

Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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CHLOE AND THE FIREFLIES
by Chris Clarkson ; illustrated by Julie Jarema

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THAT SUMMER NIGHT ON FRENCHMEN STREET
by Chris Clarkson

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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)