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NOAH AND HIS WAGON

Name: NOAH AND HIS WAGON
Author: Jerry Ruff
ISBN: 978-1-60537-710-0

by Jerry Ruff ; illustrated by Katrijn Jacobs ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 11, 2022

A message about the importance of community, gently imparted with love.

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How will Paloma cope when her best friend, Emily Rose, moves away?

Mamá goes to work and leaves Paloma in the care of boring babysitter Jasmine. But a walk with Paloma’s dog, Bucket, will soon change everything. Jasmine, Paloma, and Bucket spot a boy pulling a wagon with a sleeping cat. Paloma greets him in Spanish. The boy introduces the cat as Mitzvah and asks if the dog wants a ride, and Bucket jumps right into the wagon and curls up next to the cat. The boy, Noah, tells Paloma that his cat is named for the Hebrew word for commandment and about his headgear, a kippah. Paloma tells him how her dog was named for the bucket in which he was found. As they join forces, it becomes clear that Noah, a newcomer, has already befriended several people in the neighborhood and extended kindness to them. Though Paloma still thinks of Emily Rose, now she’s not alone; she has Noah and more new friends. Ruff’s simple, endearing tale is filled with relatable characters, brought to life in Jacobs’ brightly hued, detailed, highly energetic art. Friendship and tender acceptance surround Paloma, who is Latine with dark skin and curly, dark hair; Noah, light-skinned, brown-haired, and cued as Orthodox Jewish; Jasmine, who has tan skin and a brown ponytail; and a neighborhood of diverse people. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A message about the importance of community, gently imparted with love. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-60537-710-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clavis

Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
OWEN'S DAY WITH DADDY
by Jerry Ruff ; illustrated by Davilyn Lynch

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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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IMANI'S MOON

by JaNay Brown-Wood ; illustrated by Hazel Mitchell ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 14, 2014

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...

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Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.

The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.

While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)