New grandparents may purchase this, but it won’t be a repeat read for their granddaughters.
A look at why grandparents need granddaughters in their lives.
The books in Lang’s Why We Need series are hugely similar, from the AAAB rhyme scheme and the over-the-top-cutesy animal pairings to the bland statements (“And know that you’re perfect, from your head to your toe”) and the concepts and vocabulary (mirth, abandon) that are likely to go over young children’s heads. In this latest, relentlessly cheery grandparents (using we in the text but pictured one-on-one in the illustrations) expound on the joys of having a granddaughter, talk about the child’s bright future, and remind the little one that “your parents were once small like you.” “As you journey on, we can’t wait to see, / where life will take you, or what you will be. / You’ll hatch big, big dreams—as big as the sea! / And chase down those dreams with abandon.” While cute and almost glowing, the illustrations don’t explain or expound on the text. To match the quote above, an adult cat gazes at a kitten who’s raising a paw toward a grasshopper in a meadow. Adults may want to do some research before sharing this with curious kids, since the animal species pictured aren’t identified, and several aren’t typically found in children’s books (luna moth, kiwi, quokka).
New grandparents may purchase this, but it won’t be a repeat read for their granddaughters. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728278285
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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
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