by Doug Cenko ; illustrated by Doug Cenko ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 20, 2024
After reading about this cool monster, kids will know just what needs to be done about him—be his friend.
A monster goes monster hunting.
Merv, a big blue creature with horns, sits by a stream eating trees. (It’s just what he does.) He overhears the nearby villagers’ complaints that something needs to be done about that monster and, blissfully unaware that he is the beast in question, sets off to find help. A trio of purple-skinned witches tell him they can turn the monster into a frog (“it’s just what we do”). A troll offers to eat the monster (“it’s just what I do”), and several unicorns propose decorating the monster (“it’s just what we do”), but none of their suggestions feel right. So Merv returns home. The dam’s leaking; the village is almost completely flooded. Without thinking, Merv sits in his usual spot and plugs up the dam. Days later, the water has receded, and the wet witches, troll, and unicorns show up seeking refuge. Merv, who just wants to help friends—because that’s what he does—convinces the villagers that monsters do make good neighbors. This sweet story offers sound messages about friendship, community, and appreciating what we have. Merv is kind and endearing, the supernatural figures richly comical. The digital illustrations are appealing, though readers may not pick up on the fact that Merv’s been responsible all along for preventing the stream from flooding. The villagers are racially diverse.
After reading about this cool monster, kids will know just what needs to be done about him—be his friend. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 20, 2024
ISBN: 9781682636107
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
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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...
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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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings
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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
by Christina Geist ; illustrated by Tim Bowers ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2022
Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient.
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)Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-30709-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
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by Christina Geist ; illustrated by Tim Bowers
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by Christina Geist ; illustrated by Tim Bowers
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