An upbeat and eye-opening primer on dealing with myopia.
Misty Mole realizes that her eyesight needs correcting.
Misty’s friend Sunny Squirrel says that Misty’s painting of the Woodlands is all wrong. Walking to school, Misty trips over obstacles in her path. When Mrs. Owly asks students to read from the board, Misty squints and must stand close. Farley Fox taunts Misty, launching a paper airplane her way; she sees only a blur. Misty imagines she’s Super Mole, with the power to see far-off objects. Then Mrs. Owly announces a schoolwide art competition. Farley is convinced that Misty’s “weird” paintings will lose; Misty, who loves art, sadly wonders if that’s what others think of her work. Mrs. Owly tells Misty she’s noticed her vision difficulties and says the school nurse might be able to help. Misty eventually sees an eye doctor, is diagnosed with myopia (she’s near-sighted, or, as this U.K. import puts it, “short-sighted”), and selects a pair of “sparkly, rosy” glasses. Thereafter, exuding Super Mole’s confidence and strength, Misty doesn’t stumble, sees friends from afar, dodges paper planes—and, oh, wins the art contest with her “blurry,” Monet-like painting. Youngsters who’ve acquired new glasses themselves will be uplifted by this reassuring tale, written by an optometrist. It’s also an important wake-up call for adults to have their children’s vision corrected. Walter’s muted illustrations are lively; snub-nosed Misty and the other animal characters are endearing.
An upbeat and eye-opening primer on dealing with myopia. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 11, 2024
ISBN: 9781915584182
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Neem Tree Press
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
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
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
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