Warm and winning.
When Margo’s mother expresses her worries, Margo takes her concerns to heart.
Brown-haired, light-skinned Margo seems to be a creative, adventurous child, but her vivid and rather extreme imagination leads her to exaggerate the possible repercussions of her mother’s warnings. Her mother reminds her to be careful not to get sticky while using glue for a project, so Margo immediately pictures herself sticking to everything in sight. She is ready to leap from her swing, but another warning has Margo seeing herself making a very rough landing. Playing jungle explorer in racks of clothing at a store leads to a fear of getting lost. A visit to a pet-adoption center triggers visions of wild, dangerous animals. But a sloppy kiss from a friendly dog brings everything into focus. They are ready to take their new dog home, where they know he will be a perfect fit for their messy, clumsy lives. The text might lead readers to believe that Margo’s mom is a hovering worrier, seeing danger everywhere. But the illustrations depict her as benign and calm, while Margo’s large, expressive brown eyes indicate her terror at every turn, not only thinking twice, but stopping in her tracks every time. Very young readers might be confused at the mixed messages, but the love between mother and daughter shines through, and older readers should grasp the conceit.
Warm and winning. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 17, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-77147-162-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2016
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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