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IZZY GIZMO

Name: IZZY GIZMO
Author: Pip Jones
ISBN: 978-1-68263-021-1

From the Izzy Gizmo series

by Pip Jones ; illustrated by Sara Ogilvie ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2018

Fun, with depth

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Young inventor Izzy attempts to help an injured crow fly again.

Izzy Gizmo loves making things. She loves creating, mending, and improving so much so that she carries “her tool bag wherever she [goes].” Sadly, however, her inventions “don’t always work.” In rhyming verse, readers are told exactly how Izzy’s inventions misbehave, while the colorful illustrations highlight their complexity. Frustrated Izzy is encouraged by her caregiver grandfather, who, though the victim of her misbehaving innovations, dispenses this advice: “Sometimes you need / to try again and again if you want to succeed.” When Izzy discovers an injured crow that the vet says won’t fly again, she engages it in fun, earthbound activities, but the crow’s heart is still in the skies. Izzy decides to use her talents to make the crow new wings: she researches, makes lists, and gathers parts, but like her previous inventions, none of the wings work properly. At many points along the way, curly-haired, brown-skinned Izzy wants to quit—and says so—but continues to persevere and in the end succeeds. Though readers may wonder if the rhymes were necessary, this story of a girl engineer is sorely needed and has potential to develop and nourish readers’ interest in STEAM subjects. Additionally, themes of creativity and tenacity, together with the portrayal of a girl who’s allowed to show anger and frustration, make this a worthwhile read.

Fun, with depth . (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 1, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-68263-021-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Peachtree

Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
IZZY GIZMO AND THE INVENTION CONVENTION
by Pip Jones ; illustrated by Sara Ogilvie

- BOOK REVIEW
DADDY'S SANDWICH
by Pip Jones ; illustrated by Laura Hughes

- BOOK REVIEW
THE INVISIBLE CAT!
by Pip Jones ; illustrated by Ella Okstad

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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)