A staid story about the importance of fun.
School administrators enact different visions of success.
Principal Keene is proud of his “fine, fine school,” where racially diverse students draw, sing, and read to their hearts’ content. But when acute appendicitis results in a hospital stay, the district sends Mr. Tatters—the weedy, pinch-nosed opposite of Mr. Keene’s rotund joviality (both light-skinned)—to look over Fine Elementary School in his absence. Tatters disapproves of creativity and implements a strict testing policy, to the dismay of students and teachers alike. Luckily, Mr. Keene’s hospitalization proves brief, and upon his return the school goes back to its colorful, inventive self. Student Tillie (who is light-skinned) takes Mr. Tatters around and represents the schoolchildren as a whole but never establishes a personality of her own. This story seems more for adults than children, since students have little to no influence on school policy and don’t need to be informed that test-taking is less fun than art and music. Key repeated words (“fine, fine,” “smart, smart,” “empty, empty, empty,” “sad, sad, sad”) seem extraneous, as does a lot of the text in this word-heavy read-aloud. Detailed illustrations in a muted color palette maintain a somber tone throughout, even under the rambunctious eye of Mr. Keene. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A staid story about the importance of fun. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9780063059610
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.
The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.
Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780063329560
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
Wins for compassion and for the refusal to let physical limitations hold one back.
With such short arms, how can Tiny T. Rex give a sad friend a hug?
Fleck goes for cute in the simple, minimally detailed illustrations, drawing the diminutive theropod with a chubby turquoise body and little nubs for limbs under a massive, squared-off head. Impelled by the sight of stegosaurian buddy Pointy looking glum, little Tiny sets out to attempt the seemingly impossible, a comforting hug. Having made the rounds seeking advice—the dino’s pea-green dad recommends math; purple, New Age aunt offers cucumber juice (“That is disgusting”); red mom tells him that it’s OK not to be able to hug (“You are tiny, but your heart is big!”), and blue and yellow older sibs suggest practice—Tiny takes up the last as the most immediately useful notion. Unfortunately, the “tree” the little reptile tries to hug turns out to be a pterodactyl’s leg. “Now I am falling,” Tiny notes in the consistently self-referential narrative. “I should not have let go.” Fortunately, Tiny lands on Pointy’s head, and the proclamation that though Rexes’ hugs may be tiny, “I will do my very best because you are my very best friend” proves just the mood-lightening ticket. “Thank you, Tiny. That was the biggest hug ever.” Young audiences always find the “clueless grown-ups” trope a knee-slapper, the overall tone never turns preachy, and Tiny’s instinctive kindness definitely puts him at (gentle) odds with the dinky dino star of Bob Shea’s Dinosaur Vs. series.
Wins for compassion and for the refusal to let physical limitations hold one back. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4521-7033-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
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