A bit of a miss for an accomplished author/illustrator.
Egret and Rhino need each other, but will they really be pals?
When an egret lands on a rhino, the egret is certain they will be friends. The rhino is noncommittal. Egret says they’ll have a symbiotic relationship (“It means…We are going to be pals!”). “Perhaps you are thinking, ‘I am not the friendly type,’ ” says the egret. “I understand. I will teach you.” The talkative egret starts suggesting things they can do together. Chase the jackals? Rhino doesn’t seem inclined. Eat grasshoppers? Rhino’s not interested. A ride on the rhino’s horn? The rhino really doesn’t like that, and the egret says that’s a teachable moment about recognizing boundaries. The rhino goes about their day as the egret keeps proposing activities. When the two each enjoy some alone time, the egret gets stuck in quicksand, and the rhino comes to their aid. With the egret safe, the friendship (such as it is) continues. The egret’s loquacious lesson in friendship includes some large words that may take some explaining, and their barrage of bad animal puns will be lost on the youngest listeners. Teague’s acrylic illustrations are as beautiful as ever, but the egret’s nonstop blather verges on bullying. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A bit of a miss for an accomplished author/illustrator. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 6, 2023
ISBN: 9781665911863
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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