A gift of a book to open again and again.
A happy count-up to a birthday wish.
The opening page proclaims, “There are, / there most definitely are, / 10 / very specific, tried and true, / and absolutely essential / Rules For The Making of / a Birthday Wish.” The ensuing spreads detail these rules, all delivered in an exuberant, humorous tone, as well as exceptions and modifications to those rules. For example, the second rule instructs, “You must have a PARTY!” at which balloons are recommended décor, unless “you are a rhinoceros, a swordfish, / a sea urchin, or pointy in any way.” The accompanying illustrations show these “pointy” creatures popping said balloons with sound-effect “POP!”s and apologies of “oopsie,” “sorry,” and “my bad” issuing from their mouths. Every step up to and including the clever 10th rule, “Don’t forget that ‘wish’ ends in / ‘shhhhhh’ / so keep your wish quiet, / silent, / hush-hush,” is satisfyingly humorous and sure to gift readers with guffaws. Lichtenheld’s art matches the text’s humor on each spread, with anthropomorphic animal antics and a few human revelers, too. A spare moment at the sixth rule fearlessly embraces the white of the page as the text states “You must close your eyes,” and art shows a sweep of lashes on either side of the gutter indicating closed eyes plus an embellishment of a flower to symbolize “something extraordinary” in a birthday wish.
A gift of a book to open again and again. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5247-4154-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Nov. 25, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2018
A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series.
Another creature is on the loose.
The long-running series continues its successful formula with this Hallmark card of a book, which features bright illustrations and catchy rhymes. This time, the mythical creature the racially diverse children set out to catch is an absent mom who does it all (lists of descriptors include the words banker, caregiver, nurse, doctor, driver, chef, housekeeper, teacher, entertainer, playmate, laundry service, problem solver, handywoman, cleaner, and alarm clock) but doesn’t seem to have a job outside the home and is inexplicably a dinosaur. As the children prepare gifts and a meal for her, the text becomes an ode to the skills the Mamasaurus possesses (“Day or night she’s always there. / She meets every wish and need”) and values she instills (“Sometimes life can mean hard work,” “kindness matters,” and “what counts is doing your best”). This well-intentioned selection veers into cliche generously sprinkled with saccharine but manages to redeem itself with its appreciation for mothers and all that they may do. Endpapers include a “to” and “from” page framed in a heart, as well as a page where young gift givers or recipients can draw a picture of their Mamasaurus.
A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781728274300
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
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
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