I'M AFRAID YOUR TEDDY IS IN THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE

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I'M AFRAID YOUR TEDDY IS IN THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE

Name: I'M AFRAID YOUR TEDDY IS IN THE PRINCIPAL'S OFFICE
Author: Jancee Dunn
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0198-7

by Jancee Dunn ; illustrated by Scott Nash ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020

This teddy gang run amok proves that the principal is human, but their adventures are becoming one-note.

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That social butterfly, er, teddy, is causing trouble again, this time at school.

The mischief-maker in question, a light-brown bear, has convinced his various buddies to sneak to school in their kids’ backpacks. Their reign of terror starts in the cafeteria, where they sculpt a sloppy-joe bear, play Frisbee with pizzas, and use spaghetti as wigs and fake mustaches. They tag the wall with condiments. They tie up the gym teacher with jump-ropes and sneak bubble fluid into the band instruments. Before making their pipe-cleaner escape from the art room, they invade the teachers’ lounge (readers will be in stitches at the wonders hiding in that sanctum sanctorum). But in the end, the suspects are lined up in chairs in the office of the principal, a brown-skinned woman who looks like she means business…until she remembers her own beloved childhood bear. Children will surely chuckle at the stuffed friends’ antics, which are just riotous enough that readers will recognize they are not to be emulated (one hopes). The trip to the principal’s office (including the struggles of the vice principal, a white man, to control his laughter) may be accurate for first-timers, but those who make frequent visits are not likely to see the same treatment.

This teddy gang run amok proves that the principal is human, but their adventures are becoming one-note. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: June 16, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-5362-0198-7

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: May 16, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
I'M AFRAID YOUR TEDDY IS IN TROUBLE TODAY
by Jancee Dunn ; illustrated by Scott Nash

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THE WORLD NEEDS THE WONDER YOU SEE

by Joanna Gaines ; illustrated by Julianna Swaney ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 28, 2025

Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.

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Interior decorator and TV personality Gaines invites readers to open their eyes and exercise their imaginations.

There’s a world to be explored out there—and only children can really take part. What does “looking for wonder” entail? Slowing down and looking up, around, and everywhere. At the outset, a group of eager, racially diverse young friends—including one who uses a wheelchair—are fully prepared for a grand adventure. They offer tips about how and where to look: Why, there’s a “grand parade” of marching ants! And, these kids add, perspective is key. A rainy day might signal gloom to some, but to those filled with wonder, showers bring “magic puddles for play”; a forest is “an enchanted world,” the ocean conceals “a spectacular city,” and the night sky boasts “extraordinary sights.” The takeaway: “Wonder is never in short supply.” It’s a robust, empowering message, as is the exhortation to “keep your mind open, and let curiosity guide the way.” Youngsters are also advised to share their discoveries. The upbeat narrative is delivered in clunky verse, but the colorful cartoonish illustrations brimming with activity and good cheer (including some adorable anthropomorphized animals in the backgrounds) make up for the textual lapses and should motivate readers to embark on their own “wonder explorations.”

Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025

ISBN: 9781400247417

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tommy Nelson

Review Posted Online: yesterday

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WORLD NEEDS WHO YOU WERE MADE TO BE
by Joanna Gaines ; illustrated by Julianna Swaney

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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)