Quirky, unexpected fun.
From the Geisel Award–winning team behind See the Cat (2020) comes another surprising, amusing, and educational treat for beginning readers.
With a “One…two…three,” an unseen narrator tells light-skinned Jack, brown-skinned Jill, and Rex the smiling pooch to “Go and Get” objects beginning with a given letter. Rex (less excitable than Max, the previous series’ star) wordlessly woofs but is revealed to be cleverer than readers might initially assume. For the letter F, the kids bring a “FROG” and a “FISH,” but Rex brings a duck…who is quickly revealed to be a “FRIEND.” For the letters S and M, Jill returns with a “SKUNK” and a “MOOSE,” while Rex persists with ducks—who slyly turn out to fulfill the requirements (a pair of “SISTERS” and a group of “MUSICIANS”). Finally, it’s time for the letter D! While Jack rides in on a “DINOSAUR in a DRESS with a DRUM,” and Jill produces a “DRAGON at a DESK drawing a DAISY,” Rex is empty-handed. The narrator is “disappointed,” until a few woofs convey that Rex is, of course, a “DOG.” Expert pacing enhances the humor. Expressive cartoons highlight the deadpan moment before the narrator (and readers) catch on to Rex’s unexpected wins, and a final spread features many D-related words.
Quirky, unexpected fun. (Early reader. 4-7)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9781536222067
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
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
A visually engaging but otherwise underwhelming take on a classic.
A retelling of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, set in the Alaskan tundra.
Prolific picture-book author and illustrator Brett depicts Alice with short black hair, tan skin, and a fur-lined parka, while Lewis Carroll’s well-known characters are recast in new guises: The Cheshire Cat and Queen of Hearts appear as a Smilodon (saber-toothed cat) and snowy owl, respectively. Progressing at a rapid-fire pace, the narrative follows key moments of the original plot, including Alice’s fall down the rabbit hole (located within a glacier here), her tea party with the Hatter and the March Hare (this time, with the Old Prospector and the Varying Hare), and a scene where several playing cards paint the roses red (instead, the cotton grass) at the Queen’s behest. Characteristic of Brett’s illustrative style, each spread is packed with detail. Observant readers will find much to explore, from the well-worn playing cards that line each page to the intricate Alaskan birds and mammals featured at every turn. Still, the hectic rhythm of the story might lose youngsters, and its ho-hum text flattens some of Carroll’s whimsy. Adults may be disappointed that Brett has chosen to highlight only the area’s animals and colonial history (the Prospector hearkens back to Alaska’s history of colonial encroachment), with no explicit mention of the land’s rich Indigenous nations and cultures.
A visually engaging but otherwise underwhelming take on a classic. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Nov. 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780593533888
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
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