Sweet but lackluster attempts at social-emotional learning.
The animals of the Forever Friends Farm learn the value of sharing.
Introduced in Forever Kind (2025), supporting characters P.J. the goose and Winston the mouse take center stage as they explore the forest near their farm. Spying a spot where they and their pals can play, they clear away leaves and sticks. P.J. and Winston are eager to show their friends their new space, but when everyone heads over to the forest together, they’re surprised and disappointed to see the leaves and sticks again piled up in the middle of the glade. A group of red, tan, and brown squirrels appear, led by a purple squirrel named Pearl (like the necklace she wears), who explains that they use the leaves as beds. A sudden thunderstorm interrupts the discussion and sends everyone running to the barn. Grateful that the farm animals were willing to share their space, Pearl instantly decides to reciprocate and share the squirrels’ forest spot. The narrative arc is short, with the conflict resolved unrealistically speedily; P.J. and Winston never acknowledge that they did, however inadvertently, take over the squirrels’ space. The language is generally concise and phonetic (with exceptions like squirrels), if a bit bland. The uneven rhythm throughout is challenging, since natural accents are displaced, but occasional rhymes (sticks/fix; squirrel/Pearl) help. Full-color, Disney-esque images fill the pages; sporting cute accessories, the animals have large googly eyes, wide smiles, and quasi-human grips and gestures.
Sweet but lackluster attempts at social-emotional learning. (QR code for a song) (Early reader. 4-7)Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9781223188867
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Paw Prints Publishing/Baker & Taylor
Review Posted Online: yesterday
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
