Illustrations of diverse families enhance this work but don’t make up for the uneven rhymes.
Kids ask their parents to instruct them how to do a range of activities in this picture-book celebration of parenting.
This rhyming series installment features children of various ages—beginning with a baby and moving on to older children—requesting that their parents help them learn to do things for themselves: “Don’t just clothe me; teach me how / To dress my best for years from now.” Whether it’s practicing good hygiene, learning to cook meals, using money, or cleaning up messes, the kids make clear that they want to be involved. Author Brown’s previous works, such as What I Tell Myself FIRST (2019), focus on self-worth, and this book reiterates that message; readers may find it problematic that only a child in a wheelchair is shown to suffer from self-doubt, however. Ranucci’s beautiful, cartoonlike illustrations feature diverse families, some of whom are multiracial, all working together in loving environments. Brown’s rhymes are appropriate for the board-book set, although some archaic language (“More alert, I look to thee”) and emphasis on outdated gender roles (“boy and girls, ties and pearls”) may cause stumbles. Other awkward phrases obscure meaning to reach for rhyme (“A skill or trade, I will need! / Soon my job to do for me”).
Illustrations of diverse families enhance this work but don’t make up for the uneven rhymes.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73520-247-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Mabma Enterprises, LLC
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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