A clumsy but sweet springboard to discussions about spreading rumors.
A companion to The Whatifs (2020), this time exploring gossip.
Mason is a meddlesome lad, which makes him especially attractive to the buzzy swarms of “Iheards”—insectlike creatures with long proboscises, perfect for fitting in ears and whispering secrets. The Iheards surround Mason, telling him rumors of other classmates. “I heard Ameera is scared / of thunderstorms.” “I heard Valeria broke / Maya’s crayon on purpose!” All of these secrets build up inside of Mason until he can’t take it anymore. They burst forth, whether true or not, and he tells everyone. A special History Day project is assigned, and no one wants to be Mason’s partner. On the day of the presentation, Mason is distraught; the Iheards prey on his weakness, crowding and zipping around, creating literal clouds of insecurities. Luckily, classmate Natalie offers a different perspective—what if the Iheards can be good? A shift appears in both Mason and the art: He beams, and the room brightens. This tale follows the same emotional pathway as Kilgore and Perisco’s previous work but not quite as seamlessly. Framing the Iheards as positive is a bit more clunky and difficult; still, given how relevant the topic is, this one may be a jumping-off point to conversations about gossip. An author’s note further explains that we all deserve to share our own stories and that repeating rumors can be painful. Mason is light-skinned, Natalie is brown-skinned, and their classmates are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A clumsy but sweet springboard to discussions about spreading rumors. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4998-1268-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
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
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
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)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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