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RAPPY GOES TO SCHOOL

Name: RAPPY GOES TO SCHOOL
Author: Dan Gutman
ISBN: 978-0-06-229181-3

From the Rappy the Raptor series

by Dan Gutman ; illustrated by Tim Bowers ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

Fans of rap and dinos will enjoy this; others may want something with more story

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Following series opener Rappy the Raptor (2015), Gutman and Bowers team up again to bring readers another chapter in Rappy’s life story: the first day of school.

The rapping dino is definitely nervous on the first day—about school supplies, about making friends, about whether the teacher will be kind or not. But despite nervousness (and the huge and terrifying-looking—in Rappy’s eyes—teacher), the rapping dino manages to use that talent to distract both a bully, Chris, and his victim, Aidan. But rapping won’t help Rappy to spell, and that’s the first lesson of the day. But luckily, Aidan comes to the rescue with some whispered letters, and suddenly Rappy can spell some words. It’s the start of a new friendship for them both. And Chris? Mrs. H. “said we shouldn’t make fun of others, / and if we did she’d tell our mothers. / Being a bully isn’t cool, / so she made Chris stay after school!” Gutman’s slight tale is quite similar to the first—right down to the very similar refrains—and the resolution is too pat to be believable. Still, it’s fun for a read-aloud (practice the rhythms first), and the bullying message goes down easily. Bowers’ digital dinos are full of personality, and readers will enjoy seeing the friendship between Rappy and Aidan develop.

Fans of rap and dinos will enjoy this; others may want something with more story . (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-229181-3

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S DINOSAURS & PREHISTORIC CREATURES | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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THE (MOSTLY) TRUE STORY OF CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLE
by Dan Gutman ; illustrated by Kelley McMorris

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RUTH BADER GINSBURG COULDN'T DRIVE?
by Dan Gutman ; illustrated by Allison Steinfeld

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AMELIA EARHART IS ON THE MOON?
by Dan Gutman ; illustrated by Allison Steinfeld

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GOOD NIGHT THOUGHTS

by Max Greenfield ; illustrated by James Serafino ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2024

Relatable guidance for nocturnal worriers.

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Actor and author Greenfield’s latest picture book follows a child kept awake by anxieties.

The pajama-clad narrator huddles in bed among the blue shadows of a bedroom at night. “Every time I close my eyes, I’m afraid of all the scary stuff I see.” Bright, candy-hued clouds of cartoon images surround the child, lively, disruptive depictions of the what-ifs and exaggerated disasters that crowd out sleep: war (we see the world pop “into a piece of popcorn”), kidnapping (pirates carry away the child’s teddy bear), falling “up” into the sun, tarantulas in the toilet, and a menacing-looking dentist. These outsize insomnia inducers may help readers put their own unvoiced concerns into perspective; after all, what frightens one person might seem silly but understandable to another. Our narrator tries to replace the unsettling thoughts with happy ones—hugging a baby panda, being serenaded by a choir of doughnuts, and “all the people who love me holding hands and wearing every piece of clothing that they own.” But sleep is still elusive. Finally, remembering that there’s a difference between reality and an overactive imagination, the child relaxes a bit: “Right now, everything is okay. And so am I.” Reassuring, though not exactly sedate, this tale will spark daytime discussions about how difficult it can be to quiet unsettling thoughts. The child has dark hair and blue-tinged skin, reflecting the darkness of the bedroom.

Relatable guidance for nocturnal worriers. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024

ISBN: 9780593697894

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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I DON'T WANT TO READ THIS BOOK ALOUD
by Max Greenfield ; illustrated by Mike Lowery

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THIS BOOK IS NOT A PRESENT
by Max Greenfield ; illustrated by Mike Lowery

- BOOK REVIEW
I DON'T WANT TO READ THIS BOOK
by Max Greenfield ; illustrated by Mike Lowery

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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)