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DOOR

Name: DOOR
Author: JiHyeon Lee
ISBN: 978-1-4521-7142-5

by JiHyeon Lee ; illustrated by JiHyeon Lee ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 2, 2018

This simple tale of being a stranger in a strange land is not new, but readers will be drawn to its quiet charm and...

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A child finds a key to a mysterious door leading to a colorful, fantastical world full of friendly creatures.

Author/illustrator Lee follows up her debut, Pool (2015), with another wordless tale of a child exploring an unfamiliar land. Pencil drawings begin in drab black and white, but once the light-skinned child with little round eyes walks through the door, they collide with a bright red creature in a colorful landscape. The frightened and hungry child then finds a new friend who invites them to join their family for a picnic, activities, and a wedding. Readers will note the child gaining color as the book progresses and other creatures of all different types and sizes enter through numerous magical doors to attend the celebration. The creatures speak in a language that is written in squiggles, and the charming illustrations include details that illuminate the variety of their shapes, colors, and sizes as well as their cultures. Though neither readers nor protagonist can understand the language of these new friends, their welcoming warmth is clearly conveyed, and the child, in full color and smiling broadly, returns home through the magic door—leaving the padlock open.

This simple tale of being a stranger in a strange land is not new, but readers will be drawn to its quiet charm and welcoming message of inclusion. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-4521-7142-5

Page Count: 56

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
POOL
by JiHyeon Lee ; illustrated by JiHyeon Lee

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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)