ANTON AND THE BATTLE

Name: ANTON AND THE BATTLE
Author: Ole Könnecke
ISBN: 978-1-877579-26-4

by Ole Könnecke ; illustrated by Ole Könnecke ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2013

Five-year-olds the world over (this was first published in Germany) will recognize the conversations and the friendship in...

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Little boys and their (imaginary) toys make for a very real story of rivalry and friendship.

Anton wears a swashbuckling hat with a feather; Luke wears a Viking sort of helmet. The two boys meet in the slightest suggestion of outdoors: a bit of squiggly grass drawn on white space. Anton announces to Luke: “I’m stronger than you,” to which Luke retorts, “Very funny!”—and so it begins. Anton lifts a stone “this big,” while Luke lifts one “THIS big!” Escalation escalates. Luke carries a whole piano, so he is stronger and much, much louder. But Anton retaliates with drums. By the time they get to bombs and swinging tigers and lions by the tail, alert children with see that the red and blue outlines of their bigger-louder-stronger tools are really floating on the white background of their imaginations. But then, a “big dog” chases both up a tree (children will notice it is actually a cute little puppy), and the boys begin to compare how hungry they are and how big a cake they will eat if they ever get down. Which they do, arguing about who is faster all the way home.

Five-year-olds the world over (this was first published in Germany) will recognize the conversations and the friendship in this sweet book. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-877579-26-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Gecko Press

Review Posted Online: Feb. 12, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2013

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
SOUNDS GOOD!
by Ole Könnecke & Hans Könnecke ; translated by Melody Shaw ; illustrated by Ole Könnecke

- BOOK REVIEW
DULCINEA IN THE FORBIDDEN FOREST
by Ole Könnecke ; illustrated by Ole Könnecke ; translated by Shelley Tanaka

- BOOK REVIEW
SPORTS ARE FANTASTIC FUN!
by Ole Könnecke ; illustrated by Ole Könnecke

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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)