LOOK HOW MUCH I'VE GROWN IN KINDERGARTEN

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LOOK HOW MUCH I'VE GROWN IN KINDERGARTEN

Name: LOOK HOW MUCH I'VE GROWN IN KINDERGARTEN
Author: Vera Ahiyya
ISBN: 9780593643969

From the Kindergarten Book series

by Vera Ahiyya ; illustrated by Joey Chou ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024

A valuable reminder that learning and growing take time, practice, and patience.

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Everything grows better with a little help.

Mason doesn’t want to attend school anymore because there are things she can’t do and everyone else seems to do everything right. Mom encourages her to discuss these concerns with her teacher the next morning. Mason does, and at school, Ms. Perry thanks her for articulating her feelings. Later, Ms. Perry announces that, since today’s the first day of spring, the class’s morning meeting will focus on growth. She tells the class that everyone’s growing and changing in myriad ways. Next day, Ms. Perry displays a chart on which she invites students to indicate ways they’d like to grow. Ms. Perry encourages Mason to reflect on how much she’s growing—she knows the letters in her own name, for instance, and is “growing to be a reader”—and provides tools to help Mason learn to tie her own shoelaces. Mason begins to realize that some classmates also need help learning a few things. On the last day of school, Ms. Perry reminds everyone it’s always OK to request help in order to grow. This is a rather bland story, but it should reassure youngsters who feel doubtful about their ability to learn new skills. The colorful digital illustrations depict a multiracial cast of characters in a lively, active classroom setting. Mason, her mom, and Ms. Perry have skin in various shades of brown.

A valuable reminder that learning and growing take time, practice, and patience. (how to write a thank-you card, author’s note, tips for fostering a growth mindset) (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 5, 2024

ISBN: 9780593643969

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Random House Studio

Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
KINDERGARTEN
by Vera Ahiyya ; illustrated by Joey Chou

- BOOK REVIEW
YOU HAVE A VOICE
by Vera Ahiyya

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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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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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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)