Multisensory suggestions to help children transform difficult moments into something positive.
Saying goodbye isn’t easy.
Life is always moving along, and that “means that someday / something you love will come to an end / and it will be time to say goodbye.” Acknowledging that transitions can be sad (one spread shows a child grieving a dog and later bidding farewell to the pet during a beach ceremony), Vickers uses easily recognizable events and activities to craft a child-centered message: Readers can make memories of happy moments to look back on later. They can take photos, draw pictures, write stories, or even use their mind’s eye to commit events to memory; for this last one, the accompanying illustration shows scenes from a fabulous birthday party worth remembering. Children also learn that sometimes memories have a way of emerging on their own, summoned by a familiar song or scent. And sometimes they return when a child is sitting quietly on their own. Readers are asked, when they are ready, to imagine all their memories and recognize how they define them and give them strength for the future. Finally, they are reminded that even though something they love has come to an end, their story and their memories continue. Aranda’s vibrant spreads, suffused with rich hues that convey characters’ various emotions, depict racially diverse and generally joyful children and adults. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Multisensory suggestions to help children transform difficult moments into something positive. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9781534494411
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.
Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
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