bookshelf

WHAT GEORGE FORGOT

Name: WHAT GEORGE FORGOT
Author: Kathy Wolff
ISBN: 978-1-61963-871-6

by Kathy Wolff ; illustrated by Richard Byrne ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 4, 2017

A clever way to usher kids to the bus with a smile.

bookshelf

George is about to dash out the door to school. But what has he forgotten?

George is a small white tot with a mop of brown hair and a button nose, and he never forgets anything. Except for…all the times that he does. He’s standing at the front door in consternation. He knows that he has forgotten something, he’s just not quite sure what. He replays the morning in his mind to figure it out. Has he remembered to wake up? Yes. Has he remembered to eat breakfast? Yes. (He even remembered to stick his toast to his sister’s face with yogurt so she had whiskers.) Has he remembered to put on his yellow-and-red dotted underpants? Yes. He just can’t figure it out. Suddenly it hits him. He has forgotten his shoes! Confident and happy, he runs to the bus. As the point of view pans out, giggly readers will realize he has forgotten something even more important than shoes. Good thing his sister’s on the ball. George’s morning routine is haphazard and silly, full of important duties such as racing a slinky down the stairs and finding four and a half things to fit into the hole where his tooth used to be.

A clever way to usher kids to the bus with a smile. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: July 4, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-61963-871-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Review Posted Online: April 25, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
I'M ALWAYS LOVING YOU
by Kathy Wolff ; illustrated by Acamy Schleikorn

- BOOK REVIEW
ALL WE NEED
by Kathy Wolff ; illustrated by Margaux Meganck

bookshelf

THERE'S A ROCK CONCERT IN MY BEDROOM

by Kevin Jonas & Danielle Jonas ; illustrated by Courtney Dawson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 29, 2022

Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.

bookshelf

Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.

Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: March 29, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin

Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE'S A BEACH IN MY BEDROOM
by Kevin Jonas & Danielle Jonas ; illustrated by Courtney Dawson

bookshelf

CARRY MY HEART WITH YOU

by Danielle McLean ; illustrated by Anna Terreros-Martin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2023

Lackluster.

bookshelf

A parent and child introduce a way to make daily separations a bit easier.

At school drop-off, a parent rabbit comforts a sad child and hands the little one a heart-shaped object: “I’m giving you my heart to hold / whenever I’m not there.” The heart is meant to remind the child of the parent’s love, celebrate the things the child does well, calm worries, express joy, and watch over the child through the night. The book fails to spell out just how the heart does anything other than serve as a reminder of parental love, however. For instance, “Wave the heart above your head / to sing a happy song.” What’s the connection there? The heart is always in the child’s possession, even when the little bunny is with the parent, contradicting the opening premise that it’s for when the two are apart. Most troublingly, unlike a kissing hand, the wooden keepsake heart that comes with the book could easily be lost; with the statements that it’s the parent’s heart and that the love in the heart will never end, losing the token could be quite upsetting. The artwork features adorable cartoon anthropomorphic animals of various species, two of which use wheelchairs. The font sometimes fills in the centers of the lowercase g, o, a, and p letters with hearts, which may cause difficulties for youngsters reading on their own or for those with dyslexia.

Lackluster. (Picture book. 3-6)