A gentle reminder that there are more important things than aspiring to being the best.
A pup takes pride in a flower until others show up with better ones.
Decked out in a plaid bandanna, a spotted dog happily holds up a tiny potted daisy. “Would you like to see my beautiful little flower?” A Chihuahua yaps that it is lovely but then brings out a great big sunflower. The original pup droops. “That is…humungous.” Desperate for validation, the dog asks a passing hound, “Doesn’t it smell lovely?! Please tell me how lovely it smells!” The hound agrees but then brings out some lavender. Everyone swoons. More and more pups come, each proclaiming the attributes of their flowers (one even says, “My flower potty trained the cat!”). (All the canines pause in consternation.) In spare text, broken into color-coded speech bubbles, Hudson deftly explores the feelings of jealousy and frustration that often ensue when we compare ourselves to others. Luckily, these doggo pals come together in the end, realizing each flower is special in its own—helpful—way. The anthropomorphic dogs cut hilarious figures in the watercolor-and–colored pencil artwork; a poodle with an oversized hairdo and a bespectacled Great Dane are especially fun additions. There is also a subplot to be discovered in the illustrations; follow the antics of the frog and two birds for extra chuckles. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A gentle reminder that there are more important things than aspiring to being the best. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9780593323342
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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