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BEARNARD'S BOOK

Name: BEARNARD'S BOOK
Author: Deborah Underwood
ISBN: 978-1-62779-757-3

by Deborah Underwood ; illustrated by Misa Saburi ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 5, 2019

Open Bearnard’s book for an alternative concept of bravery with humor, sweetness, and friendship at the core.

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Bearnard gets the chance to be in a book and must embrace his sense of self in the process.

“I have always wanted to be in a book!” declares Bearnard as he reads his invitation from the Queen of Storybook Land. The anthropomorphic (though unclothed) bear imagines his story being read by children (with diverse skin tones) at bedtime, in school, or on the playground. Illustrator Saburi’s chunky black outlines couple with cozy pink, blue, and brown fills, making for relaxing illustrations that nevertheless pop. Most spreads contain a gentle floral wallpaper pattern in the background, building a homey feel, bolstered by bold typeface reminiscent of handwriting. Bearnard brainstorms with duck friend Gertie about the possibility of being a knight, an astronaut, or “Super Bear!” in the storybook. This provides an entry point for caregivers to engage with children about what they would be if starring in a book. Bearnard’s confidence waffles as he tries to emulate classic bear stories without success. Gertie guides Bearnard to see himself as brave and worthy just by being himself. Underwood’s social-emotional narrative and the action-oriented illustrations allow for layered reading—if a child is not ready to discuss what might make them brave, they will most certainly be entertained by the imaginative adventures of Bearnard and Gertie.

Open Bearnard’s book for an alternative concept of bravery with humor, sweetness, and friendship at the core. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Feb. 5, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-62779-757-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Godwin Books

Review Posted Online: Nov. 20, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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WALTER HAD A BEST FRIEND
by Deborah Underwood ; illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier

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JO BRIGHT AND THE SEVEN BOTS
by Deborah Underwood ; illustrated by Meg Hunt

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XO, EXOPLANET
by Deborah Underwood ; illustrated by Jorge Lacera

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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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BUDDY'S NEW BUDDY

From the Growing With Buddy series , Vol. 3

by Christina Geist ; illustrated by Tim Bowers ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2022

Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient.

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How do you make a new friend when an old one moves away?

Buddy (from Sorry, Grown-Ups, You Can’t Go to School, 2019, etc.) is feeling lonely. His best friend just moved across town. To make matters worse, there is a field trip coming up, and Buddy needs a bus partner. His sister, Lady, has some helpful advice for making a new pal: “You just need to find something you have in common.” Buddy loves the game Robo Chargers and karate. Surely there is someone else who does, too! Unfortunately, there isn’t. However, when a new student arrives (one day later) and asks everyone to call her Sunny instead of Alison, Buddy gets excited. No one uses his given name, either; they just call him Buddy. He secretly whispers his “real, official name” to Sunny at lunch—an indication that a true friendship is being formed. The rest of the story plods merrily along, all pieces falling exactly into place (she even likes Robo Chargers!), accompanied by Bowers’ digital art, a mix of spot art and full-bleed illustrations. Friendship-building can be an emotionally charged event in a child’s life—young readers will certainly see themselves in Buddy’s plight—but, alas, there is not much storytelling magic to be found. Buddy and his family are White, Sunny and Mr. Teacher are Black, and Buddy’s other classmates are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient. (Picture book. 4-7)