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BAABWAA AND WOOLIAM

Name: BAABWAA AND WOOLIAM
Author: David Elliott
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6074-1

A TALE OF LITERACY, DENTAL HYGIENE, AND FRIENDSHIP

by David Elliott ; illustrated by Melissa Sweet ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 12, 2017

Great for knitters, for readers, for fun-seeking adventurers.

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A wolf and two sheep in a funny-ever-after tale? Yes!

Wooliam is a sheep who reads, not a common activity for farm animals. His best friend, Baabwaa, is a sheep who knits—a highly practical activity for wooly critters. One day, they set out on an adventure that consists of much walking through the same field, which leads to an appetite for grass. Suddenly, who should appear but another sheep. But is it another sheep? This one has a tail, a snout, “horrid teeth,” and a “filthy wool coat.” Fortunately, Wooliam knows the facts: it is “that Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing I’ve read about.” This impresses the third sheep—er, make that the wolf. Alas, the wolf cannot read about himself because he cannot read. No problem. Wooliam will teach him his ABC’s, and Baabwaa will knit him a clean, new coat. A friendship occasionally spiced with danger follows. Elliott’s tale is cleverly humorous and a joy to read aloud. Sweet’s illustrations in watercolor, gouache, and mixed media are a stellar accompaniment. Much of the action is set in frames, of both the hanging-on-the-wall variety and the graphic-novel variety. The characters are all highly expressive, and the graph paper and strands of yarn in the page design add to the nonstop merriment.

Great for knitters, for readers, for fun-seeking adventurers. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-7636-6074-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: June 4, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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IN THE DESERT
by David Elliott ; illustrated by Gordy Wright

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BEST IN SHOW
by David Elliott

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AT THE POLES
by David Elliott ; illustrated by Ellen Rooney

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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)