A cozy, relatable family story.
Being alone is fun—until it isn’t.
Alice is “right in the middle” of a rambunctious brood of four older brothers and four younger sisters. Her mom sometimes calls her by the wrong name; sometimes, her dad miscounts his offspring. Sometimes, Alice feels lost in the crowd. Her brothers do “older-kid things,” and her sisters get away with “younger-kid things.” Alice does “middle-kid things”—painting polka dots on her pants, dancing, and singing—but she feels invisible in her bustling home. One day, she takes off by herself. It’s “glorious!” to be “just Alice, all on her own,” and do what she wants. Eventually, though, the thrill of being alone wears off. It’s not as great as she’d imagined; what she needs is a big family hug. But suppose she’s been forgotten? No worries. Alice’s entire overjoyed family, having missed her terribly, finds her, and Alice realizes she’s dearly loved and right where she belongs—“back in the marvelous, murky middle!” This emotionally satisfying story will reassure children with multiple siblings that they’re vital to their family’s happy dynamic. Alternatively, kids with few or no siblings will receive validation that they’re equally valuable, for love is present in families of any size. This tale also addresses children’s desire for independence—regardless of family size—and assures kids they’ll always be heartily welcomed back. The cheery, energetic illustrations depict a warm, active household. Alice is tan-skinned; her family members vary in skin tone.
A cozy, relatable family story. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9798889880141
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Amicus Ink
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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