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IRA CRUMB MAKES A PRETTY GOOD FRIEND

Name: IRA CRUMB MAKES A PRETTY GOOD FRIEND
Author: Naseem Hrab
ISBN: 978-1-77147-171-8

by Naseem Hrab ; illustrated by Josh Holinaty ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 15, 2017

A valuable lesson in friendship, with walking pickles on the side

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Ira Crumb is “trustworthy, super helpful, and also really fun to be around”—but, having just moved, he is also “The New Kid.”

All Ira’s considerable confidence is put to the test by the prospect of having no friends on the first day of school. He decides to take pre-emptive action and “make friends BEFORE the first day of school.” Campaign signs and a lemonade stand attract attention, but learning that he’s serving pickles with his cheese sandwiches turns off potential friends. (The pickle’s frowny face echoes Ira’s dismay as the kids walk away.) A dance-off also fails to win him a friend, as does displaying huge quantities of cool. Readers will notice that one kid, a light-blue rabbit, seems interested in meeting Ira; his friendly overture goes for naught when Ira thinks his sandwich is talking to him instead. But on the first day of school, the rabbit, whose name is Malcolm, clears up the confusion, and a friendship is born. Hrab’s debut comes packed with wry whimsy that’s ably matched by Holinaty’s visuals. His characters are notably diverse, including talking animals such as Malcolm and animate foodstuffs as well as humans; Ira himself is a brown-skinned boy with a poof of black hair under his hoodie. The figures’ video-game aesthetic humorously emphasizes Ira’s competitive approach to friendship.

A valuable lesson in friendship, with walking pickles on the side . (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2017

ISBN: 978-1-77147-171-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Owlkids Books

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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THE WORLD NEEDS THE WONDER YOU SEE

by Joanna Gaines ; illustrated by Julianna Swaney ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 28, 2025

Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.

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Interior decorator and TV personality Gaines invites readers to open their eyes and exercise their imaginations.

There’s a world to be explored out there—and only children can really take part. What does “looking for wonder” entail? Slowing down and looking up, around, and everywhere. At the outset, a group of eager, racially diverse young friends—including one who uses a wheelchair—are fully prepared for a grand adventure. They offer tips about how and where to look: Why, there’s a “grand parade” of marching ants! And, these kids add, perspective is key. A rainy day might signal gloom to some, but to those filled with wonder, showers bring “magic puddles for play”; a forest is “an enchanted world,” the ocean conceals “a spectacular city,” and the night sky boasts “extraordinary sights.” The takeaway: “Wonder is never in short supply.” It’s a robust, empowering message, as is the exhortation to “keep your mind open, and let curiosity guide the way.” Youngsters are also advised to share their discoveries. The upbeat narrative is delivered in clunky verse, but the colorful cartoonish illustrations brimming with activity and good cheer (including some adorable anthropomorphized animals in the backgrounds) make up for the textual lapses and should motivate readers to embark on their own “wonder explorations.”

Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025

ISBN: 9781400247417

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tommy Nelson

Review Posted Online: yesterday

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE WORLD NEEDS WHO YOU WERE MADE TO BE
by Joanna Gaines ; illustrated by Julianna Swaney

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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)