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WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

Name: WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
Author: Tyler Clark Burke
ISBN: 978-1-77147-367-5

by Tyler Clark Burke ; illustrated by Tyler Clark Burke ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 15, 2019

Worthy of contemplation.

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A study of impermanence and transformation.

Do shooting stars disappear? Or do they transform into something else? In Burke’s opening spread, a figure admires a shooting star that streaks across the blue, purple, and red sunset. As the fleeting light disappears, the words read, “Where are you now, star?” And so the conversation begins. From the vastness of the shooting star in the sky to the tininess of the grains of rocks and sea glass it can transform into, the star becomes part of the Earth. As a hand reaches to catch a snowflake, water’s journey—as fog and mist when it swirls “up to the clouds” and rolls “down to the hills”—is explored. But transformation does not happen only in inanimate objects. It happens in plants, like the seed that grows into a tree, which bears apples, and in humans, when, “dreams intertwined / Slow days, quickly past.” The verses and illustrations are vague enough to allow wide-ranging conversations. Without any specificity in human characters’ identity—only silhouettes are displayed—exchanges about death are prompted as the narrator says, “I see you now, still— / Even though you aren’t here.” With sumptuous illustrations and thought-provoking verses, Burke’s meditation can serve as a quiet bedtime story or a deep conversation starter.

Worthy of contemplation. (Picture book. 4–7)

Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-77147-367-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Owlkids Books

Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE LAST LOOSE TOOTH
by Tyler Clark Burke ; illustrated by Tyler Clark Burke

- BOOK REVIEW
BILL BOWERBIRD AND THE UNBEARABLE BEAK-ACHE
by Tyler Clark Burke ; illustrated by Tyler Clark Burke

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 25, 2025

A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.

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In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.

Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”

A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 25, 2025

ISBN: 9780063387843

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK'S VALENTINE
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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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)