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SOME DAYS

Name: SOME DAYS
Author: Julie A. Stamm
ISBN: 978-1-61519-810-8

A TALE OF LOVE, ICE CREAM, AND MY MOM’S CHRONIC ILLNESS

by Julie A. Stamm ; illustrated by Chamisa Kellogg ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 28, 2021

A loving, tender celebration of the mother-child bond.

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Not all superheroes wear capes, and the mom in this story proves just that.

Young narrator Wyatt shares how Mom may not always feel super, but “she uses her superpowers to battle her [multiple sclerosis].” No matter how good or bad she feels, they always have adventures, big and small. Some days when Mom is tired, they play in a special fort just for two. Some days, Mom is a bit unsteady, but with her magical stick, they can cast spells on Wyatt’s toys. No matter what they face, they will always have each other and fill each day with love. This beautiful picture book shares an affirming message that honestly and unapologetically reflects life with a parent who has a chronic illness. Author Stamm was diagnosed with M.S. in 2007 and, according to her concluding note, wrote this story to serve “as a tool to reinvent the perception of chronic illness and empower the children battling alongside their superhero parents.” She does just that, using Wyatt’s narrative to share ideas for entertaining games while managing symptoms and side effects of a long-term illness. Kellogg’s illustrations notably construct an unshakeable parent-child relationship using warm, vibrant colors and joyful expressions. Love and acceptance radiate on every page. Wyatt, his mom, and the unidentified man who sometimes accompanies them—sensitively leaving readers to their own interpretations of the relationship—all present White. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A loving, tender celebration of the mother-child bond. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-61519-810-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: The Experiment

Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING

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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

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

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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)