An anodyne lecture that feels targeted toward the grown-ups in the room.
Jacob—whom readers may remember from the oft-banned Jacob’s New Dress (2018)—discovers that a beloved book has been removed from the school library.
Jacob adores “the penguin book”—clearly And Tango Makes Three (2005), though never referred to by name—but it’s missing! Later, his classmate Emily, who has two dads, wants to show the book to Noah, but their teacher explains that “some people are unhappy with the books we have in our library.” Jacob knows it’s because the penguins are both dads. Since Noah still doesn’t know what the book is about, the kids decide to play penguins at recess, gathering rocks and pretending to hatch eggs. The story ends with Jacob’s mother reading the book to him at bedtime and the two deciding to try to get the book reinstated in the library. The narrative seems to have been designed with adults in mind. It not only addresses naysayers who may be concerned about a child “turning gay” after reading LGBTQ+ books, but also winks and nods at those already in the know. Though it may help validate kids’ feelings around book banning, it doesn’t address their questions or concerns: The adult characters are frustratingly cagey about why books are challenged, nor do they offer concrete guidance about responding to censorship. Still, the book could be useful as an entry point for more in-depth discussions. Jacob presents white; his community is racially diverse.
An anodyne lecture that feels targeted toward the grown-ups in the room. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781433844584
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Magination/American Psychological Association
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
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
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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