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JUST ONE LITTLE LIGHT

Name: JUST ONE LITTLE LIGHT
Author: Kat Yeh
ISBN: 9780063094963

by Kat Yeh ; illustrated by Isabelle Arsenault ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 6, 2023

A sweet, upbeat guide to cultivating optimism in young children.

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Where there’s even a little light, there can still be a lot of hope.

“One little light / cannot light the whole sky… / but it is enough / to begin.” This mantra, or variations of it, is repeated often in this calm, economically worded, softly empowering picture book that offers reassurance to youngsters when they find themselves in darkness or overwhelmed by fear. Darkness, of course, can mean several things—literal darkness, as when children find themselves alone at bedtime after lights are turned out, or darkness of spirit, as when little ones feel downcast, lonely, hopeless, or unsafe. No matter what kind of darkness children are confronting, the book suggests there’s always a glimmer of hope to hold on to if readers remember they have a small spark of light within themselves—sufficient to light the way toward self-confidence and a brighter outlook. This is an uplifting idea, but perhaps it will ring truer and more meaningfully for adults than youngsters. The book might best be shared one-on-one as a laptime read between children and trusted grown-ups, with adults encouraging rich follow-up conversations and explorations of feelings or personal experiences. The delicate, lovely illustrations, rendered in gouache, charcoal, and pastel, feature spirited, racially diverse children. As the text proceeds, more light and colors pervade the pages. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A sweet, upbeat guide to cultivating optimism in young children. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 6, 2023

ISBN: 9780063094963

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 9, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WAY TO BEA
by Kat Yeh

- BOOK REVIEW
THE FRIEND SHIP
by Kat Yeh ; illustrated by Chuck Groenink

- BOOK REVIEW
THE TRUTH ABOUT TWINKIE PIE
by Kat Yeh

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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)