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GET OFF THAT CAMEL!

Name: GET OFF THAT CAMEL!
Author: A.H. Benjamin
ISBN: 978-81-9390-331-5

by A.H. Benjamin ; illustrated by Krishna Bala Shenoi ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2019

This Indian import is a gentle exploration of childhood fantasy.

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Even as an infant, Meena loved her toy camel and “never slept without it.” So when her parents get her a real camel, she rides it everywhere—even if others are inconvenienced.

She ignores repeated cries of “Get off that camel!” at school, shops, the pool, and the movies until the doctor notices the camel’s state of exhaustion and Meena compassionately agrees to keep her pet at a stable. Soon after, her parents bring a new baby brother home, and Meena happily shares her toy camel—which he loves, “never [sleeping] without it,” much to their parents’ evident dismay. With its spare narrative, this story will appeal to imaginative children, who will find humor in the outlandish situations Meena and her camel find themselves in. In a storytime setting, young listeners will likely join in on the titular refrain, “Get off that camel!” The detail-rich illustrations, providing a fanciful window into everyday life in India, encourage repeated browsing. In one amusing double-page spread, the camel farts calmly at disgusted, uniform-clad students while their teacher, who wears a sari, stands at the blackboard, aghast at the disruption. Its progress through the supermarket is viewed from above, giving readers a look at shelves knocked askew and products littering the floor in its wake. Two pages of “fun facts” about camels are included, providing information for curious readers.

This Indian import is a gentle exploration of childhood fantasy. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-81-9390-331-5

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Karadi Tales

Review Posted Online: June 9, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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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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IZZY GIZMO AND THE INVENTION CONVENTION

From the Izzy Gizmo series

by Pip Jones ; illustrated by Sara Ogilvie ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2020

A disappointing follow-up.

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Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).

While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.

A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)