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SAME WAY BEN

Name: SAME WAY BEN
Author: Maryann Cocca-Leffler
ISBN: 978-0-8075-7222-1

by Maryann Cocca-Leffler ; illustrated by Maryann Cocca-Leffler ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2019

Sensitively pragmatic.

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Change happens, even to those who prefer otherwise.

“Ben liked things the same way—every day.” His clothes, the greeting from his teacher, Mrs. Garcia, and what he eats for lunch: chicken strips and an apple. But one day, the music teacher announces he’ll be their substitute for the next six weeks since Mrs. Garcia just had her baby. The substitute’s penchant for “changing things up” doesn’t sit well with Ben, and after one too many alterations, he cries out. Mrs. Garcia, coincidentally in the classroom on a surprise lunch visit with her baby, tells him that “changes make life exciting…like an adventure.” Ben accepts a bite of Mrs. Garcia’s snack—bagels with blueberries and cream cheese—and realizes he likes it. He decides to willingly try mixing some things up. Bright, cartoony drawings make the daily routine of a classroom come alive, worthily representing the center of this child’s world. Ben has beige skin and brown hair, his classmates are racially diverse and one child uses a wheelchair, and the two teachers present white. Although it is never specified, Ben’s preference for continuity could be read as stemming from autism, though the text treats Ben the same as the other members of the class. Young readers, including many not on the spectrum, can empathize with the character’s reluctance to embrace change, so the book could be a good discussion starter.

Sensitively pragmatic. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-0-8075-7222-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Whitman

Review Posted Online: July 23, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
DON'T ASK CAT!
by Maryann Cocca-Leffler ; illustrated by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

- BOOK REVIEW
FIGHTING FOR YES!
by Maryann Cocca-Leffler ; illustrated by Vivien Mildenberger

- BOOK REVIEW
WE WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL!
by Maryann Cocca-Leffler & Janine Leffler ; illustrated by Maryann Cocca-Leffler

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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)