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GIDDY UP, UNICORN!

Name: GIDDY UP, UNICORN!
Author: Dani Gómez
ISBN: 9781623544850

by Dani Gómez ; illustrated by Dani Gómez ; translated by Luisana Duarte Armendáriz ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2024

Unicorn buffs and all kids lucky enough to have grandparents will appreciate this tender, knowing tale.

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Time changes some things—but not all.

Emma loves unicorns. Her bedroom walls are covered with unicorn posters, and she owns loads of unicorn toys and dolls. Her indulgent, tattooed, long-haired, long-bearded dad reads her stories about unicorns every night before bed. Guess what costumes they wear at Halloween, with Emma riding on Dad’s back, calling out, “GIDDY UP, UNICORN!”? Time has a way of passing, though, and interests inevitably change. As Emma grows up, her passions turn from unicorns to novels about vampires; wall space gives way to posters of singers. Eventually, Emma leaves home to start her own family; the unicorns are stored in the closet. Happily, Emma’s daughter, Elna, loves unicorns as much as her mom once did. It’s a good thing Grandpa kept all the unicorn paraphernalia. When Elna visits, Grandpa gives her plenty of unicorn-back rides and even lets her take the whole box of unicorns home. For the first time in ages, his house appears to be devoid of unicorns. Or is it? What’s that tattoo on Grandpa’s belly? This sweet, wistful import, originally published in Spain and translated from Spanish, considers the inexorable passage of time and how happy, loving memories and traditions enrich new generations. The colorful digital illustrations are filled with warmth and humor. The protagonists are light-skinned.

Unicorn buffs and all kids lucky enough to have grandparents will appreciate this tender, knowing tale. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024

ISBN: 9781623544850

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Charlesbridge

Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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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)