YOU CAN BE A GOOD FRIEND (NO MATTER WHAT!)

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YOU CAN BE A GOOD FRIEND (NO MATTER WHAT!)

Name: YOU CAN BE A GOOD FRIEND (NO MATTER WHAT!)
Author: Taraji P. Henson
ISBN: 9780310160595

A LIL TJ BOOK

by Taraji P. Henson ; illustrated by Paul Kellam ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 18, 2024

A solid choice for starting discussions on bullying, friendship, and kindness.

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In actor and mental health advocate Henson’s debut picture book, a young girl facing troubles at school takes her grandma’s advice.

Lil TJ can’t wait to start school and make new friends. She has her own unique style, and she lets it shine on her first day. She participates eagerly, but at recess, a boy named Beau gives her a hard time. Beau mocks everything about her, from her small stature to the peanut butter and tomato sandwich she eats at lunch. Lil TJ starts to dull her shine. She wears plain clothes and styles her hair like the other girls in class to avoid Beau’s attention, but she’s still nervous. And will she ever make friends? Grandma Patsy, with whom Lil TJ talks almost daily on her tablet, reminds her that nurturing friendships takes time and tells her she should continue to be her sweet self. The next day at recess, Lil TJ stays inside and plays music. When other kids hear, they join her, and Beau looks nervous as he struggles with an instrument. Lil TJ remembers Grandma Patsy’s words of wisdom and takes the opportunity to turn her and Beau’s relationship around. While the message is timeless and the characters likable, the story’s resolution feels a bit too easy. Lively, expressive, cartoonlike illustrations bring the straightforward text to life. Lil TJ is Black, Beau is brown-skinned, and their class is diverse.

A solid choice for starting discussions on bullying, friendship, and kindness. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 18, 2024

ISBN: 9780310160595

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Zonderkidz

Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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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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THE MOST MAGNIFICENT THING

by Ashley Spires ; illustrated by Ashley Spires ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2014

Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...

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Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.

First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.

Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)