THE CROWN ON YOUR HEAD

Name: THE CROWN ON YOUR HEAD
Author: Nancy Tillman
ISBN: 978-0-312-64521-2

by Nancy Tillman & illustrated by Nancy Tillman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 27, 2011

A little one is told that he wears a sparkling crown made of such esoteric materials as moonlight and fireflies. This crown...

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Every child is unique and special and loved, and one is told so, over and over, in this sentimental ode.

A little one is told that he wears a sparkling crown made of such esoteric materials as moonlight and fireflies. This crown will protect him and give him the ability to achieve anything he can dream and believe. Tillman employs couplets with a few tortured, but mostly accessible rhymes, some lovely imagery and lots of exclamation points. Full- and double-page spreads of super-bright, sharply colored illustrations convey the essence of the text as they depict the child with his crown glowing like a halo in endless fields of flowers or on an African plain with the most gentle elephants, zebra, antelopes and leopards in perfect sunny days and moonlit nights in the best of all possible worlds. But it is all just too perfect. The hyperbole becomes cloying as the child is told he is “chosen,” “magnificent,” “born to shine” and a “twinkling, little star.” Before overweening self-esteem and elitism are carried too far, the child is reminded that all his friends have crowns of equal value. But, of course, his crown is his best friend. Parents and grandparents will love to read this aloud to their little ones, but it might be too much of a good thing.

Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2011

ISBN: 978-0-312-64521-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
YOU'RE HERE FOR A REASON
by Nancy Tillman ; illustrated by Nancy Tillman

- BOOK REVIEW
THE HEAVEN OF ANIMALS
by Nancy Tillman ; illustrated by Nancy Tillman

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE NIGHT YOU WERE BORN
by Nancy Tillman ; illustrated by Nancy Tillman ; developed by Auryn Inc.

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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)