While it’s a relatively appealing addition to the fractured-fairy-tale and back-to-school shelves, this may replace...
Apparently, Goldilocks and the littlest bear (don’t you dare call him Baby) became best friends after the infamous porridge/chair/bed encounter, and now, they face the first day of school together.
While Lolly is mainly looking forward to recess, B. Bear is enthusiastic about going to kindergarten to learn new things…until the actual first day of school, when he turns almost neurotic about meeting new people, having the right things in his backpack and getting to school on time (he pulls Lolly from the house, her porridge spoon still in hand). When B. Bear’s carefully chosen school supplies are carried away (literally), how will he manage? He needed those. Or did he? He’s got Lolly, and maybe that’s all he needs: a friend. In a nod to minimalism, the heavily laden B. Bear is juxtaposed against the pencil-wielding Lolly, who muses, “I may have packed too much.” Chou’s brightly colored digital illustrations are a nifty exercise in character spotting, as he hides other fairy-tale characters and settings; Lolly’s shortcut passes by an infamous house of straw. And Livingston plays up the original “Goldilocks” fairy tale when the duo goes shopping for supplies—this outfit is too bright, that one too hot, etc.
While it’s a relatively appealing addition to the fractured-fairy-tale and back-to-school shelves, this may replace going-to-school worries with having-a-friend fears—not every child comes equipped with a pal like Lolly. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 24, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-06-219788-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.
Interior decorator and TV personality Gaines invites readers to open their eyes and exercise their imaginations.
There’s a world to be explored out there—and only children can really take part. What does “looking for wonder” entail? Slowing down and looking up, around, and everywhere. At the outset, a group of eager, racially diverse young friends—including one who uses a wheelchair—are fully prepared for a grand adventure. They offer tips about how and where to look: Why, there’s a “grand parade” of marching ants! And, these kids add, perspective is key. A rainy day might signal gloom to some, but to those filled with wonder, showers bring “magic puddles for play”; a forest is “an enchanted world,” the ocean conceals “a spectacular city,” and the night sky boasts “extraordinary sights.” The takeaway: “Wonder is never in short supply.” It’s a robust, empowering message, as is the exhortation to “keep your mind open, and let curiosity guide the way.” Youngsters are also advised to share their discoveries. The upbeat narrative is delivered in clunky verse, but the colorful cartoonish illustrations brimming with activity and good cheer (including some adorable anthropomorphized animals in the backgrounds) make up for the textual lapses and should motivate readers to embark on their own “wonder explorations.”
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781400247417
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tommy Nelson
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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