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NO MORE NOISY NIGHTS

Name: NO MORE NOISY NIGHTS
Author: Holly L. Niner
ISBN: 978-1-936261-93-2

by Holly L. Niner ; illustrated by Guy Wolek ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2017

Neither rousing nor a snore, this story still satisfies

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Unexpected housemates lead to fitful nights for a new subterranean tenant.

Jackson the mole finds moving day exhausting. After unpacking his cozy underground home, he settles into bed for some well-deserved rest. However, three unexpectedly noisy and bored supernatural housemates interrupt his sleep night after night. Jackson’s inventive solutions for his problem don’t lead to silent nights, but the ruckus becomes a dull roar and at last he can sleep. Readers will wonder both how Jackson readily recognizes each rowdy offender (“There must be a pixie in the piano”) and why he doesn’t just drive them out. The passage of time seems problematic, as each offender seems active only every third night. And yet there is much to enjoy: the silly mistakes Jackson makes from lack of sleep, effective page turns that build suspense, and a predictable story structure. Soft, computer-generated illustrations will engage observant young readers keen to explore Jackson’s new home. At times, apparent variations in the resolution of different elements within the illustrations cause some elements to feel out of place. Additional inconsistencies include objects that shift position from spread to spread, and on one page, a clock seems to have three hands instead of two. It’s too bad these inconsistencies keep the artwork from rising to the level of the delightful text.

Neither rousing nor a snore, this story still satisfies . (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-936261-93-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Flashlight Press

Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE DAY I RAN AWAY
by Holly L. Niner ; illustrated by Isabella Ongaro

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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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)