In this story, rainbows feel like an overworked symbol rather than a genuine mark of Pride.
LGBTQ+ advocates Jordan and Hendrix urge readers to celebrate their unique selves.
Everyone has a rainbow, “made up of all the things that make you happy.” As the book begins, a pale-skinned, black-haired child takes part in a variety of activities: having a bubble bath, trying on different clothes (including overalls and a dress), and attending a Pride parade alongside adults of various races, abilities, and gender expressions. The mood shifts as the protagonist notices a sad-looking child curled up amid gray rain clouds. “Everyone has their own rainbow, but not everyone feels comfortable letting theirs shine,” we’re told. Readers are reminded “that the sun will appear again soon” and that rainbows appear “when the sun shines through the rain.” Though rainbows and other queer symbols are everywhere in Chen’s dreamy, color-strewn artwork, the text sticks to generalities. Pride is described as “the feeling that wraps around you like a cozy hug” and “when you are loved for being yourself.” It’s a laudable, reassuring sentiment, but without context from adults, young readers won’t grasp the message that all LGBTQ+ identities should be celebrated, though backmatter fills in some gaps. The jewel-toned illustrations are engaging and bright, but the tale’s many platitudes (“Just be true to who you are!”) leave the book feeling cliched.
In this story, rainbows feel like an overworked symbol rather than a genuine mark of Pride. (note for caregivers, reflection questions, glossary) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 17, 2024
ISBN: 9781464224188
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2024
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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