A warm and relatable tale told with heart.
A family goes home again.
It’s time to move yet again, but Esmerelda’s used to it, because her dad’s in the military. This time, they’ll be relocating from Germany back to San Antonio. That should be good news, because the rest of Esmerelda’s extended familia lives there, but she isn’t nearly as excited as her sister, who was born there. After all, Esmerelda’s never been to San Antonio; that’s not her home! After packing everything up, they move to temporary lodging on the base and say adios to the friends they’ve made in Germany. Once they land in the U.S., they’re greeted by loved ones, right off the plane. Everyone is curious about Esmerelda, but the only one she recognizes is her Abuela. Esmerelda doesn’t feel like she belongs. Until…Tío George puts on Tejano music. Hearing a song by her beloved Selena, Esmerelda starts dancing, and everyone joins in. At last, she feels at home. Esmerelda’s a charming protagonist struggling with an issue that will be familiar to many readers, whether they’ve moved frequently or not: feeling out of place with family they’re not yet close with. Spanish words are interspersed throughout, while Lechuga’s crayonlike art brims with detailed spreads and harmonic colors full of movement. Esmerelda and her family are brown-skinned and Latine.
A warm and relatable tale told with heart. (author’s note, photos) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781623543907
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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