A gentle reminder of the genuine beauty found in life’s wonderfully imperfect moments.
In Newbery-winning author de la Peña’s latest, a young Latine boy learns to appreciate what he has.
Lucas is ecstatic when he gets a perfect score on his report on robots, but his thrill is short lived: His classmates stare when they see Lucas and his father pushing their stalled truck through the intersection, and the boy returns home to find the electricity has been shut off again. His mom heads to her shift at the diner before he can share his paper with her. Lucas falls asleep, only to be awakened by a strange light. Following it, he arrives at a seemingly perfect place. He and his robot report fit right in, but Lucas soon discovers that this world has no room for error when a boy who mysteriously looks just like him is expelled for spilling a glass of juice. Disenchanted, Lucas flees. Back at home, his family is waiting for him with words of encouragement, and Lucas realizes that however flawed his life might seem, it’s just right for him. Filled with concrete details, this charming narrative highlights the unexpected joy of imperfections and invites readers to reconsider the notion of perfection. Textured digital illustrations draw visual parallels between Lucas’ posh, suburban school and the so-called perfect world; though the boy’s urban neighborhood and apartment may look comparatively shabby, homey details imbue it with a warmth that’s lacking from the other settings.
A gentle reminder of the genuine beauty found in life’s wonderfully imperfect moments. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN: 9780593325636
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: March 9, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2024
Being kind and helpful lights up the day from within in this inspiring and idyllic slice-of-life tale.
Actor, social media star, and entrepreneur Brown pens a joyful paean to positive thinking in her children’s debut.
Brown-skinned Tab rides a strawberry-themed bike, accompanied by a curly-haired black dog, Grady. Tab’s dazzling smile and wide eyes signal the upbeat theme echoed in the text, celebrating the sun’s warmth, which “fills everyone up with joy.” But Tab’s mood shifts, as it’s a “cloudy and gray” June day. Alert readers will spot the dog’s smiling countenance and note glimpses of sunny yellow butterflies and flowers. Mama’s reassurance that there’s “always a chance” for sunshine also underscores the optimism. Tab and Grady bike through suburban streets “to find the sun.” Along the way, the two stop to assist a neighbor building a birdhouse, loft a kite for friends Frankie and Fonte, and lend a hand to others, all while still having fun. Mama steers Tab toward an eventual understanding of the real source of joy: Though the sun didn’t appear, “I brightened everyone’s day!” The illustrations subtly underscore the message of this radiant story as touches of gold lighten the palette, which ends with sunny brilliance. Most characters read Black, though Tab’s community includes people who vary in skin tone, body type, and ability.
Being kind and helpful lights up the day from within in this inspiring and idyllic slice-of-life tale. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 11, 2025
ISBN: 9780063342262
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 21, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
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
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