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GOOD THINGS

Name: GOOD THINGS
Author: Maryah Greene
ISBN: 9780593403648

by Maryah Greene ; illustrated by Alleanna Harris ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2023

A poignant tale of loss overshadowed by missteps.

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After his father’s sudden death, Malcolm must learn to deal with his grief.

Malcolm loves caring for plants with Dad, especially Big Mon, Dad’s monstera. Though Malcolm sometimes becomes impatient waiting for the plants to grow, Dad often says, “Good things taken time.” After Dad dies, Malcolm inherits his plants. However, his overzealous watering causes Big Mon’s bright green leaves to droop and yellow, mirroring the boy’s feelings. Frustrated, he stops caring for the plants altogether and resigns himself to buying a new monstera. As he spends more time with his friends, he notices the plants beginning to grow once more. His willingness to give his plants—and himself—some time allows them all to feel better. Though this story deals with an important topic—the death of a parent—many readers will be distracted with questions, as the book never explains why Malcolm’s father died. The warm-toned illustrations convey the loving relationship between Malcolm and his father as well as the boy’s pain, but on one page, Dad notes how rare variegation is on a monstera leaf, but the image depicts several plants with variegation. The backmatter includes a helpful glossary of plant terms, though the entry for the snake plant offers the alternative name mother-in-law’s tongue with the unfortunate misogynistic parenthetical note, “Don’t worry, you’ll understand why, one day.” (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A poignant tale of loss overshadowed by missteps. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2023

ISBN: 9780593403648

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin

Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023

Categories:

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

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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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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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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)