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DUCK AND PENGUIN DO NOT LIKE SLEEPOVERS

Name: DUCK AND PENGUIN DO NOT LIKE SLEEPOVERS
Author: Julia Woolf
ISBN: 978-1-68263-201-7

by Julia Woolf ; illustrated by Julia Woolf ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2020

Young readers will awaken to the idea that sleepovers aren’t for everyone.

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Ducks, penguins, and overnights don’t mix.

Duck and Penguin don’t want to sleep in a “teeny-weeny tiny tent” outdoors. The stuffed animals are the companions of Betty and Maud, respectively. The girls love doing things together; their toys—no. Duck and Penguin dislike what their guardians get up to and dislike each other. As introduced in Duck & Penguin Are Not Friends (2019), the girls believe the toys enjoy their activities. While Betty and Maud excitedly don jammies, snuggle in sleeping bags, and luxuriate on supersoft pillows, Duck and Penguin scowl in tight onesies (Penguin wears duck PJ’s) and “drink” soda pop. The girls’ own liquid overindulgence forces a rushed bathroom trip. Duck and Penguin, alone, also dash houseward, surrounded by nighttime noises. Scared they’re being watched, they head back to the tent, the cramped space suddenly comforting. Next morning, the girls (who slept indoors) peek inside, observe the toys ensconced with the cat, and conclude they love sleepovers. The humor in this British import arises from the girls’ smiley cluelessness and the toys’ impressively effective glowers. The appealing illustrations are lively and expressive; the cat plays a pivotal role in some scenes. Betty is white and wears blue glasses. Maud is black with her hair styled in two Afro puffs. Duck and Penguin frolic on endpapers.

Young readers will awaken to the idea that sleepovers aren’t for everyone. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-68263-201-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Peachtree

Review Posted Online: May 2, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE ROBBER RACCOON
by Lou Kuenzler ; illustrated by Julia Woolf

- BOOK REVIEW
ONE HUG
by Katrina Moore ; illustrated by Julia Woolf

- BOOK REVIEW
DUCK AND PENGUIN ARE NOT FRIENDS
by Julia Woolf ; illustrated by Julia Woolf

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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)