bookshelf

HEARTS IN MY POCKET

Name: HEARTS IN MY POCKET
Author: Nancy Tupper Ling
ISBN: 9781454949749

by Nancy Tupper Ling ; illustrated by Shirley Ng-Benitez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 10, 2024

A tender look at the many emotions that separation can cause.

bookshelf

Navigating a divorce—and the changes it brings—can be difficult.

A child with tan skin and long brown braids describes the feelings involved in splitting time between two homes. Mommy still lives at the house where the narrator grew up, while Daddy has moved to the city. At one home, the surroundings are almost the same: old friends, familiar neighbors, and a favorite walking trail—but no Daddy. Another has new restaurants, a new bed, and new friends—but no Mommy. School brings more change—a new teacher, new bus routes—but also a return to a beloved art class and cafeteria. The youngster feels split in two. “I’m so mad. I’m tired of going back and forth—wondering…why? Why can’t things be like they were before?” Extra hugs and extra chats help, but nothing heals until the child finds a tiny heart drawn on a train window. The discovery of that heart leads to finding more, including a heart-shaped rock, ornament, and basketball’s bounce pattern. There are hearts all around, just like the family’s love; that is the one thing that divorce hasn’t changed. The tot collects the hearts and holds them close as a reminder. Eagle-eyed readers can flip back to the start and discover other hearts hidden throughout. Ng-Benitez’s delicate, illuminated art shines with warmth. Secondary characters have a variety of skin tones.

A tender look at the many emotions that separation can cause. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Dec. 10, 2024

ISBN: 9781454949749

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Union Square Kids

Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
FOR EVERY LITTLE THING
edited by June Cotner & Nancy Tupper Ling ; illustrated by Helen Cann

- BOOK REVIEW
THE YIN-YANG SISTERS AND THE DRAGON FRIGHTFUL
by Nancy Tupper Ling ; illustrated by Andrea Offermann

- BOOK REVIEW
THE STORY I'LL TELL
by Nancy Tupper Ling ; illustrated by Jessica Lanan

bookshelf

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...

bookshelf

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

bookshelf

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.

bookshelf

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)