An affirming tale that will inspire readers to embrace their unique selves.
A dragon who marches to a different drummer comes into her own.
“Once upon a time, there was a little dragon. And this little dragon didn’t like fire.” She even hides between her father’s legs while her siblings create a gigantic fiery orb. Though she tries hard to please her family, she can’t breathe fire—or fly. When her wings don’t grow, she makes some, and when those fail, she even launches herself from a cannon. Finally, she soars, but after a short flight, she lands in the water—the one place her father has warned her a dragon must avoid. Except…the dragon feels amazing in the water. It is even better than flying, and she discovers “other dragons in the water and not one of them [has] wings!” After being fished out of the water by her father, the little dragon apologizes for her lack of dragon abilities, but her father showers her with love and encourages her to embrace her skills—turns out, she’s a crocodile…and a born swimmer (the endpapers explain how this uniquely blended family came to be). Rich, full-color illustrations include both spreads and vignettes. Consistent eye contact between the parent and child dragons shows their strong emotional connection. There’s plenty of humor, too, such as the catastrophic cannon-powered flying experiment. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An affirming tale that will inspire readers to embrace their unique selves. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5290-4481-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Macmillan Children's Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022
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
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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