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HANNAH'S TALL ORDER

Name: HANNAH'S TALL ORDER
Author: Linda Vander Heyden
ISBN: 978-1-58536-382-7

AN A TO Z SANDWICH

by Linda Vander Heyden ; illustrated by Kayla Harren ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 15, 2018

A made-to-order toothsome tale.

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Just when you think there is no new way to present the alphabet, along comes Hannah and her order for a tall sandwich.

In this tale told in rhyming couplets, Hannah asks McDougal at the deli for an “A to Z sandwich” on thick, whole wheat bread. “Avocados and bean sprouts—fresh carrots galore. / Dill pickles, egg salad—those figs I adore!” In the double-page–spread illustration, Hannah gazes rapturously at the bits and pieces of sandwich fixings that McDougal is furiously chopping. “ ‘Green peppers,’ said Hannah, ‘sliced thin, if you please. / And drizzle on lots of sweet honey from bees.’ ” It’s alphabetical, though not necessarily everyone’s cup of tea. Marshmallow spread, nuts, olives, potatoes, and quinoa get stacked in order, followed by a radish, sunflower seeds, a tomato, and ugli fruit. Vanilla and whipped cream add a sweet touch with toppings of xouba fish, yam, and zucchini. Voilà! It’s the vivacious, messy, and deliciously appealing illustrations that turn the tale into a real romp. With curly red hair, pale skin, and freckles galore, Hannah is a charmer, seemingly unconcerned as olive-skinned McDougal grows increasingly sweaty and food-spattered. The alphabetical ingredients are for the most part readily recognizable, though readers are likely to side-eye that xouba fish (which the illustration reveals to be a sardine).

A made-to-order toothsome tale. (Picture book 4-8)

Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-58536-382-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press

Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
A HORSE NAMED JACK
by Linda Vander Heyden ; illustrated by Petra Brown

- BOOK REVIEW
MR. MCGINTY'S MONARCHS
by Linda Vander Heyden ; illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen

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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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THE CRAYONS' CHRISTMAS

From the Creative Creature Catcher series

by Drew Daywalt ; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 15, 2019

Haphazard but jolly enough for one outing; it probably won’t last for more.

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A flurry of mail addressed to Duncan’s crayons ushers in the Christmas season in this novelty spinoff of the bestselling The Day the Crayons Quit (2013) and The Day the Crayons Came Home (2015).

Actual cards and letters are tucked into envelopelike pouches pasted to the pages; these are joined in some cases by other ephemera for a package that is likely to invite sudden, intense play followed by loss and/or damage that will render the book a disappointment to reread. That’s probably OK, as in contrast to the clever story that kicked this small series off, this outing has a hastily composed feel that lacks cohesion. The first letter is addressed to Peach from Mom and includes a paper doll of the “naked” (de-wrappered) crayon along with a selection of tabbed changes of clothing that includes a top hat and tails and a bikini top and bottom. Peach’s implied gender fluidity does not mitigate the unfortunate association of peach with skin color established in the first book. The sense of narrative improvisation is cemented with an early page turn that takes the crayons from outdoors snow play to “Feeling…suddenly very Christmas-y, the crayons headed inside.” Readers can unpack a box of punch-out decorations; a recipe for gluten-free Christmas cookies that begins “go to store and buy gluten-free cookies”; a punch-out dreidel (turns out Grey is Jewish); a board game (“six-sided die” not included); and a map of Esteban (aka Pea Green) and Neon Red’s travels with Santa.

Haphazard but jolly enough for one outing; it probably won’t last for more. (Novelty. 4-8)