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THE GARDEN WE SHARE

Name: THE GARDEN WE SHARE
Author: Zoë Tucker
ISBN: 978-0-7358-4484-1

by Zoë Tucker ; illustrated by Julianna Swaney ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 22, 2022

Tender as a spring seedling.

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A quiet celebration of gardens and loved ones.

In a tidy urban garden, a child with pigtails and their elderly caregiver—both beige-skinned—sow seeds in a raised bed with a diverse group of neighbors. Prose and illustrations are gentle, with a palette of relaxing greens, oranges, browns, and reds prevailing. The line “The cool air turns to a warm breeze, and the sun shines down to feed our souls. And our garden” is paired with negative space and seedlings that dance softly around the text. While young children will certainly learn about the general way plants grow, this tale will also encourage them to embrace relaxation and connect with older relatives or neighbors. The growing process becomes a way for the child to remember their caregiver, who unexpectedly is "gone" when the season turns to fall after a jubilant harvest dinner. The ambiguity of the word gone may prompt unexpected discussion about death in an otherwise mild tale. What sets this one apart from other garden fare is the exploration of the community garden as a space for relaxation and gathering.

Tender as a spring seedling. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 22, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-7358-4484-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: NorthSouth

Review Posted Online: April 12, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
WE ARE THE APOLLO 11 CREW
by Zoë Tucker ; illustrated by Nick Radford

- BOOK REVIEW
GRETA AND THE GIANTS
by Zoë Tucker ; illustrated by Zoe Persico

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ADA LOVELACE AND THE NUMBER-CRUNCHING MACHINE
by Zoë Tucker ; illustrated by Rachel Katstaller

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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)