A NEW HARVEST

Name: A NEW HARVEST
Author: Cristina Expósito Escalona
ISBN: 978-84-18302-32-9

by Cristina Expósito Escalona ; illustrated by Miguel Ángel Díez ; translated by Jon Brokenbrow ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 10, 2021

A feel-good, pay-it-forward story about sowing seeds and harvesting harmony.

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Building community supplants the despair Rodrigo feels after a tornado destroys the ranch and home he inherited from his family.

The disaster leaves him devastated, with only a “little savings” and memories of familial love to sustain him. The soil is as cracked and “dry as his soul.” One morning, he awakens in a sunbeam, remembering his father’s encouragement: “You’ve got to keep going, it’s all we can do!” Inspired, Rodrigo digs, uncovering broken tools and signs of soil life. He buys seeds and new tools. With care, plants grow, reinvigorating Rodrigo with hope. Gradually, visitors drop by, and a sharing economy begins: organic produce in exchange for “a few coins, clothes, or other things to help him out.” As the land’s fertility increases, Rodrigo needs helpers and so begins providing opportunities for others. Poignantly, his generosity begets returns as the farm becomes a community: “a place where people in need came for help: a place where they could heal the wounds that nobody could see.” The farm supplies stores, restaurants, and its own farm stand; proceeds enable Rodrigo and friends to build a house for diverse workers and volunteers: “their own home.” Agreeable illustrations depict Rodrigo as a thin young man with light-brown skin, large ears, short, black hair, and triangular eyebrows. Díez uses blues and greens for crops, sky, and clothing, visually reinforcing themes of community and sustainability. This import from Spain publishes simultaneously in the U.S. with its original, Spanish-language edition.

A feel-good, pay-it-forward story about sowing seeds and harvesting harmony. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2021

ISBN: 978-84-18302-32-9

Page Count: 28

Publisher: Cuento de Luz

Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
FIREFLIES
by Roberto Aliaga ; illustrated by Miguel Ángel Díez ; translated by Jon Brokenbrow

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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

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

- BOOK REVIEW
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)