A day in the life of a child ready to take on the world—one step at a time.
A child and their dad (both have beige skin and straight, black hair) begin the day with reminders of what the child has already accomplished in life: walking, talking, growing, and learning. There’s more to do, but the child needn’t fear. Each new challenge is to be tackled step by step, one by one. This becomes the refrain for the bouncy rhyming text that carries the characters through their day—getting dressed, piece by piece; crossing the street, stride by stride; making friends, smile by smile; building a miles-high tower, block by block. This cheery mantra reassures the child and allows them to approach new experiences and tasks with confidence—helpful for child readers who, at times, might be anxious. Stanzas tumble along at a spirited pace and brim with positivity, paired with bright, pastel-colored, line-and-color illustrations that infuse the storytelling experience with humorous, eye-catching details. The child’s classmates represent a diverse cast of characters in terms of perceived gender and skin color, and one child uses a wheelchair. For children uncertain about starting school or having new social experiences following the pandemic, this story’s ebullience is bound to bring a smile and a phrase to repeat: “Step by step, one by one.” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An upbeat read-aloud that encourages young readers in their quests to discover the world. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-7994-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: June 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING
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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 4, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Bear finds a wonderful toy.
Bear clearly loves the toy bunny that he has found sitting up against a tree in the forest, but he wants to help it return to its home. With a wagon full of fliers and the bunny secure in Bear’s backpack, he festoons the trees with posters and checks out a bulletin board filled with lost and found objects (some of which will bring a chuckle to adult readers). Alas, he returns home still worried about bunny. The following day, they happily play together and ride Bear’s tricycle. Into the cozy little picture steps Moose, who immediately recognizes his bunny, named Floppy. Bear has a tear in his eye as he watches Moose and Floppy hug. But Moose, wearing a tie, is clearly grown and knows that it is time to share and that Bear will take very good care of his Floppy. Yoon’s story is sweet without being sentimental. She uses digitized artwork in saturated colors to create a lovely little world for her animals. They are outlined in strong black lines and stand out against the yellows, blues, greens and oranges of the background. She also uses space to great effect, allowing readers to feel the emotional tug of the story.
A winning tale about finding new friends. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8027-3559-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Feb. 19, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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