by Kate Messner illustrated by Andy Rash ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2013
Sea Monster keeps delivering important messages in fun ways. What issue will he tackle next? (Picture book. 4-7)
Sea Monster’s second outing finds him with his first-day resourcefulness intact (Sea Monster’s First Day, 2011).
When Sea Monster learns of a new student in his class, he goes out of his way to be kind to him. But instead of cowering and being shy, as Sea Monster did on his first day, the new fish is something of a braggart, always comparing (negatively) his old school with this new one. He also turns out to be quite bossy, selfish and unkind. On his second day, he starts the Fresh Fish Club (he’s president, of course) for all the cool fish, passing out sunglasses for the members. Sea Monster is quite pleased with his new shades…until he sees that not everyone is wearing them. “Suddenly, my cool new shades felt heavy on my snout.” He ponders a way to include everyone, and the Friend Fish club is started. The members wear buttons and do good deeds for one another. Proving his worth as a diplomat, Sea Monster kindly deflects the new fish’s declaration that he’ll be president, asking the newcomer to instead use his drumming talent for the good of all. The tale ends with a rhyming song about the new club and their friendly mission. Rash’s artwork is a hoot, filled with humorous and hidden details (don’t miss the book titles in the library).
Sea Monster keeps delivering important messages in fun ways. What issue will he tackle next? (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4521-1253-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2013
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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...
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
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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings
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by Christina Geist ; illustrated by Tim Bowers ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2022
Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient.
How do you make a new friend when an old one moves away?
Buddy (from Sorry, Grown-Ups, You Can’t Go to School, 2019, etc.) is feeling lonely. His best friend just moved across town. To make matters worse, there is a field trip coming up, and Buddy needs a bus partner. His sister, Lady, has some helpful advice for making a new pal: “You just need to find something you have in common.” Buddy loves the game Robo Chargers and karate. Surely there is someone else who does, too! Unfortunately, there isn’t. However, when a new student arrives (one day later) and asks everyone to call her Sunny instead of Alison, Buddy gets excited. No one uses his given name, either; they just call him Buddy. He secretly whispers his “real, official name” to Sunny at lunch—an indication that a true friendship is being formed. The rest of the story plods merrily along, all pieces falling exactly into place (she even likes Robo Chargers!), accompanied by Bowers’ digital art, a mix of spot art and full-bleed illustrations. Friendship-building can be an emotionally charged event in a child’s life—young readers will certainly see themselves in Buddy’s plight—but, alas, there is not much storytelling magic to be found. Buddy and his family are White, Sunny and Mr. Teacher are Black, and Buddy’s other classmates are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-30709-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
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by Christina Geist ; illustrated by Tim Bowers
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