A resonant tale of gaining self-esteem by conquering what seems scary.
You’d think a T. rex wouldn’t be afraid of anything. You’d be wrong.
In her latest outing, Penelope Rex is terrified of Walter, the class goldfish. One might suppose a goldfish would be petrified of her, a large dinosaur with a disproportionately sized head. Penelope has reasons to be frightened, though: Walter is “bitey” (Penelope’s discovered this firsthand—literally) and has “menacing fins” and “unblinky eyes.” Unfortunately, her teacher announces that each student will have a chance to care for Walter over a weekend. When Penelope’s turn arrives, she strives to make the best of it, including Walter in her usual activities and attempting to distract him (and herself). After a few peculiarities—weird nighttime noises and a broken lamp—Walter disappears; the ensuing search leads to a complete overhaul of Penelope’s feelings for her nemesis. Following Walter’s subsequent reappearance, the rest of the weekend goes swimmingly, and Penelope’s parents have a big surprise for her. We don’t lose a class pet, but we gain a humorous, relatable story about taking dinosaur-sized pride in overcoming fears. Kids have anxieties, and this tale makes them recognizable—and a little less frightening. The lively, comical illustrations, created with graphite, ink, Photoshop, and scans of treated clayboard for textures, are appealing; Penelope is most expressive, her oversized head and large, dewy eyes emphasizing her winsome vulnerability. Penelope’s human classmates are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A resonant tale of gaining self-esteem by conquering what seems scary. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 28, 2023
ISBN: 9781368076982
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
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
Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.
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: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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