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HUGS STILL FEEL THE SAME

Name: HUGS STILL FEEL THE SAME
Author: Kiralee Strong
ISBN: 9781922539960

by Kiralee Strong ; illustrated by Jenni Barrand ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 11, 2025

An encouraging story about hope and positivity even in the darkest of times.

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Some things are constant.

The word flood isn’t used in the terse yet soothing rhyming text; instead, the young, pale-skinned, red-haired narrator uses stark phrases such as “The rain doesn’t take a break” and “The water’s rising higher.” Throughout these difficult circumstances, the protagonist receives loving hugs that “still feel the same”—from Mama and Daddy and from the child’s brown-skinned best friend at school, which has surprisingly remained open. Then…“The river’s at our doorstep. Our street is now a lake.” Mama and Daddy explain that they must evacuate and advise the child to take a favorite toy. “Family hugs still feel the same.” The trio snuggle closely as a “rough and wobbly” rescue boat steers them to a shelter, where neighbors and the narrator’s schoolmates welcome them. The child spots and embraces Grandma, whose hugs, of course, “feel the same.” Though the child has lost toys and books to the flood, the final refrain has an upbeat tone accompanied by the image of a rainbow: “One thing hasn’t changed…Hugs still feel the same.” Readers will come away reassured by the text and the calming illustrations. Rendered in a mostly warm palette, the art focuses on bright colors suggesting optimism. The narrator’s family is pale-skinned; background figures are diverse.

An encouraging story about hope and positivity even in the darkest of times. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 11, 2025

ISBN: 9781922539960

Page Count: 32

Publisher: EK Books

Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2025

A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.

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In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.

Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”

A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 25, 2025

ISBN: 9780063387843

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S VALENTINE
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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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)