ALL WE NEED IS LOVE AND A REALLY SOFT PILLOW!

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ALL WE NEED IS LOVE AND A REALLY SOFT PILLOW!

Name: ALL WE NEED IS LOVE AND A REALLY SOFT PILLOW!
Author: Peter H. Reynolds
ISBN: 9781338572339

by Peter H. Reynolds & Henry Rocket Reynolds ; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 19, 2023

A minimalist pair-bonding fable only for dedicated fans of Peter H. Reynolds.

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We all need love, but is it all we need?

Poppy is large, fluffy, and blue, with hefty striped arms and big, owlish eyes. Little One is a teeny ball of pink fuzz, with smaller striped arms, little legs, and huge eyes. In a barren landscape of abstract orange circles, the two agree: “Love is all we need.” (One thing they don’t need: clothes.) Immediately, however, Little One begins to propose material additions: a really soft pillow or two, then, in short order, a roof, walls, water, chocolate, a bathtub, a cooking pot, a vegetable garden and a fruit tree, books, a toilet, and, of course, love. As each item appears, Poppy greets it enthusiastically, praising Little One’s cleverness but insisting that now they need nothing more for a “sweet and simple” life. Then a storm batters them, blowing everything away. Grabbing Little One, Poppy clings to a deep-rooted tree. They are safe, and again they have nothing except love—though Little One, snuggling into Poppy’s back, still has a really soft pillow. This book, with its fanciful creatures in their flat, isolated space, will provoke questions about what is truly “essential,” not just in material terms. The duo needed strength, perseverance, optimism, and courage, at least—something the authors never acknowledge. Realists will note other needs. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A minimalist pair-bonding fable only for dedicated fans of Peter H. Reynolds. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023

ISBN: 9781338572339

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic

Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
I AM WE
by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

- BOOK REVIEW
THE REFLECTION IN ME
by Marc Colagiovanni ; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

- BOOK REVIEW
WHO I AM
by Susan Verde ; illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds

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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)