LOLA KNOWS A LOT

Name: LOLA KNOWS A LOT
Author: Jenna McCarthy
ISBN: 978-0-06-225017-9

by Jenna McCarthy ; illustrated by Sara Palacios ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 7, 2016

By the end, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Lola’s learned the most important thing of all: she’s “ready to learn all...

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A little girl starting school for the first time already knows a lot of things, but her big sister’s got her worried others will know more.

So little Lola lists out for readers some of the awesome things she can do. She can drive the car…from the back seat; teach her mom (yet again) how to work the remote control; and play the piano (only one song, but she’s great at it). Dad doesn’t always appreciate her setting him up to show off what she knows at his expense, and though Lola has a talent for driving her sister crazy, “I’m not saying you should try it. I’m just saying I happen to be especially good at it.” And readers should take her word for it that they shouldn’t cut their own hair. Among the tongue-in-cheek lessons Lola has learned are some gems about siblings, eating healthy, and life: “practicing isn’t as fun as doing. But I also know you can’t get good at anything without a lot of practice.” Palacios’ blonde, white, tutu-clad tot is wonderfully self-assured, self-confident, and exuberant, all of which come through in the digital illustrations, which are a mix of watercolor, colored pencil, and cut paper.

By the end, there’s no doubt in anyone’s mind that Lola’s learned the most important thing of all: she’s “ready to learn all the things I still don’t know.” (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: June 7, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-225017-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
LOLA'S RULES FOR FRIENDSHIP
by Jenna McCarthy ; illustrated by Sara Palacios

- BOOK REVIEW
POPPY LOUISE IS NOT AFRAID OF ANYTHING
by Jenna McCarthy ; illustrated by Molly Idle

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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)