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ONE WAVE AT A TIME

Name: ONE WAVE AT A TIME
Author: Holly Thompson
ISBN: 978-0-8075-6112-6

A STORY ABOUT GRIEF AND HEALING

by Holly Thompson ; illustrated by Ashley Crowley ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 3, 2018

A worthwhile endeavor that unfortunately falls short in artistic execution but that offers some resources for families who...

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When a boy loses his father, waves of emotions wash over him as he grieves and begins to heal.

At the dinner table, in the car, at a game—in everyday moments the absence of his father is felt. Fear, anger, and sadness roll in, unpredictable and overwhelming, as his father’s items are both treasured and broken. Some days the boy feels numb, and sometimes happiness slips in. Simple drawings with loose washes of color provide literal interpretations of the text, waves looming and engulfing the boy. Moments are represented like pictographs, making this offering seem like a handbook or guide rather than a true picture book. The text’s acknowledgement of the various emotions and slow healing process is much needed, and the support group, grief first-aid kit, memory box, and memory chair are important tools that are discussed. Moments when the family members share stories, make music, or just hold one another and listen to each other breathe show healing in process. Finally, when the difficult waves break, the boy has learned to surf them out toward peace. The boy and his family have brown skin and dark hair.

A worthwhile endeavor that unfortunately falls short in artistic execution but that offers some resources for families who have suffered the loss of a loved one. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 3, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-8075-6112-6

Page Count: 37

Publisher: Whitman

Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
TWILIGHT CHANT
by Holly Thompson ; illustrated by Jen Betton

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FALLING INTO THE DRAGON'S MOUTH
by Holly Thompson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE LANGUAGE INSIDE
by Holly Thompson

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2025

A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S VALENTINE
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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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)