Other than the opportunity to commiserate with the children in these pages (while, one hopes, not picking up any new fears...
Arnaldo explores some of the fears young children experience.
In this rhyming not-quite-an-alphabet book, one child per letter and his or her fear are introduced, some imaginative, some quite real for many kids: “C is for Claire, / who recoiled from legumes. / D is for Drew, / who hid from raccoons.” Claire’s beans, soldierlike, take up forks and flaming toothpicks against her. “O is for Ophelia, / who stayed in the light. / P is for Perry, / quick to take flight.” Perry dashes by a fence that encloses three (quite friendly-looking) dogs. The rhyme and rhythm sometimes stumble—“cover” and “under”—and even the youngest listeners are sure to notice that several letters are missing, cleverly made part of the lesson: “learn from the missing letters— / to them you must look. They were / GUTSY & BRAVE / and so not in this book.” But while Arnaldo points out that fears are normal, she never gives any advice about how to get over them and be gutsy and brave, so the lesson falls flat. Large, open eyes, downturned mouths, and faces partially hidden mark these kids as fearful, and the illustrations largely show the children’s perspectives.
Other than the opportunity to commiserate with the children in these pages (while, one hopes, not picking up any new fears along the way), there is little for kids to take away from this. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-77147-047-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015
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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