Positive, inviting, and encouraging poems for young readers.
A collection of poetry for children explores self-worth.
This picture book featuring eight poems takes a kid’s-eye view of the world, emphasizing the importance of making mistakes as part of the growing process, being kind, and facing life with bravery and enthusiasm. Beginning with a poem about believing in yourself, the collection continues with ideas about getting better each day, sharing kindness and embracing differences, listening to your feelings, leading by knowing when to ask for help, standing up for what’s right and aiding others, and embracing your uniqueness. The overwhelming positivity of each poem makes this volume a good choice for young readers to speak aloud, instilling self-confidence with phrases like “Wherever I go, I blaze a new trail. / I believe in possibilities, even if I might fail.” The author and the illustrator use characters from previous entries in the Limitless Little Leaders series, including Lovey Livy Lu (2022) and Coco Courageous (2022). Though the names are never given here, the pictured characters serve as a nice connection to the earlier books and may intrigue readers new to the series to look up those adventures. Svobodová’s soft-edged digital art is full of bright colors and kid-friendly action, with a cast of diverse children. Lacqua’s rhymes are solid throughout, and though some phrases in the scansion are shorter than others, each poem lends itself well to sharing with parents.
Positive, inviting, and encouraging poems for young readers.Pub Date: Dec. 10, 2022
ISBN: 9798218099985
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Elivate
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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