bookshelf

THIS IS THE DREIDEL

Name: THIS IS THE DREIDEL
Author: Abby Levine
ISBN: 0-8075-7884-3

by Abby Levine & illustrated by Paige Billin-Frye ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2003

bookshelf

Max gets his dreidel out of the drawer where it’s been stashed since last year and the Hanukkah celebration begins. In iambic pentameter hinting of The House That Jack Built, Levine describes the preparations Max and his family make for the holiday: “This is the dreidel Max spins on the floor. / He hopes that he doesn’t get ‘Nun’ anymore.” The final two pages wrap up the previous activities in a sweet reflection on the wonder of the eight days that have gone before and Max puts away the dreidel until next year. Appealing, cartoon-like drawings of Max and his warm, cozy family match the easy rhythm of the text. Glossary of terms included. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2003

ISBN: 0-8075-7884-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Whitman

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2003

Categories:

CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
GRETCHEN GROUNDHOG, IT'S YOUR DAY!
by Abby Levine & illustrated by Nancy Cote

- BOOK REVIEW
OLLIE KNOWS EVERYTHING
by Abby Levine & illustrated by Lynn Munsinger

bookshelf

HALLOWEEN IS COMING!

by Cal Everett ; illustrated by Lenny Wen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 2021

High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out.

bookshelf

From the changing season to decorations and costumes, children anticipate Halloween.

Little readers will enjoy all of the familiar markers of the season included in this book: falling leaves, jack-o’-lanterns, Halloween costumes, candy, and trick-or-treating. Everett’s rhyming couplets bob along safely, offering nothing that will wow but enough to keep the pages turning. It’s Wen’s illustrations that give the most to readers, full of bustling scenes and lovely details. A double-page spread of the children in town in front of the candy store includes jars with individually drawn treats and other festive delicacies. The townwide celebration features instruments, creative costumes, and a diverse crowd of people. There are three children who appear as the focus of the illustrations, though there are many secondary characters. One bespectacled White child is drawn in a manual wheelchair, another has dark brown skin, the third presents Asian. The child in the wheelchair is shown as a full participant. Readers will enjoy spotting spooks like a vampire, goblin, and werewolf, as they sometimes appear in the background and other times blend in with the crowd. The familiar trappings of Halloween paired with the robust illustrations will have little readers wanting to reread even if the content itself is not startlingly new.

High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out. (Picture book. 3-5)

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-7282-0586-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

bookshelf

CHICKA CHICKA PEEP PEEP

From the Chicka Chicka Book series

by Julien Chung ; illustrated by Julien Chung ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 20, 2026

A sweet, springtime-themed reworking of a beloved tale.

bookshelf

The classic picture book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) gets a makeover for Easter as the letters of the alphabet locate and decorate eggs.

The mission is simple: “Chicka chicka peek peek. / Everybody seek seek! / Find all the eggs / in the pretty pink tree.” The letters are making their way up the flowering tree in search of the hidden eggs when a “SNEEZE!” scatters everyone and the eggs fall and crack. Luckily, a bunny hops by with a haul of new ones, which the letters then paint and bedazzle, eventually sharing the newly decorated eggs with a group of bunnies. This picture book is a successfully Easter-fied version of the original: The letters go up; the letters fall down. Truly, though, that’s all the preschool crowd needs. Chung’s illustrations are simple and familiar, a direct echo of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. The letters appear in colorful, bold, block form. The book has few added details, just focal images like the tree and its pink flowers, the colorful eggs, tufts of grass, and some friendly rabbits. The alphabet appears in order (both upper- and lowercase letters) at the book’s open and close. The rhyming text follows the iconic cadence of the source material, making for a worthy read-aloud that will keep little hands turning pages.

A sweet, springtime-themed reworking of a beloved tale. (Picture book. 3-5)