An effective, relatable depiction of a frustrating and all-too-common experience.
In this Swiss import, Worm solicits the help of a friend when his beloved hat goes missing.
Worm runs a successful lost-and-found office. He’s shocked when he readies himself to leave for work one day and realizes he can’t find his hat. Worm’s unfamiliar with losing things himself, so he calls on best friend Seal for assistance. Worm gets frustrated while searching for the hat, but ultimately Seal’s good advice proves true when the cap eventually turns up. Seal’s three-step process for locating lost items is one that many little readers will find helpful, and Worm’s very real anger at the situation is relatable. Worm himself is a sweet little guy, peach-colored with black rings. He’s anthropomorphized, with red cheeks and a friendly smile, the end of his body serving as a sort of hand as he holds a pencil and types on the computer. Seal is equally darling, donning an apron and stirring pancake batter in an attempt to boost Worm’s spirits. Some illustrations are spread across two pages, while others convey action with a series of four panels on a single page—a design choice that keeps the story moving and gives readers plenty to take in. The final page consists of an array of lost objects hidden throughout the book for readers to find.
An effective, relatable depiction of a frustrating and all-too-common experience. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9780735845572
Page Count: 32
Publisher: NorthSouth
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
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)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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