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THREAD BY THREAD

A visually compelling take on the refugee experience that may be too lofty for its target audience.

A family of mice suddenly find their cozy red knitted home unraveling.

No longer safe, the creatures flee, traveling past various dangers in search of refuge. With the help of welcoming neighbors, they build a colorful home from the remnants of their old dwelling and new yarn balls—symbolic representations of the heavy emotional burdens that they can now release. Laced with knitting terminology, this French import explores the turmoil and heartache endured by many refugees. Photographs of yarn and knitting needles combine with muted line drawings of the animals for a visually rich tale that makes effective use of texture, shadow, and color. The author and illustrator use yarn, portrayed here as both a means of escape and a symbol of peril, to heighten the emotional and physical tension. Though the artwork is approachable and kid-friendly, the abstract text at times risks framing refugees as passively or willingly accepting their fate (“We leave without making a fuss,” “We leave without a word of complaint”). While adults will appreciate the poignant message about rebuilding a life (“With these threads of ourselves, / with these spools of worry, / knit one in silk, / purl one in wool”), the complex figurative language may go over children’s heads. Still, with a loving grown-up to put the work in context, it could spark conversations about the effects of being uprooted.

A visually compelling take on the refugee experience that may be too lofty for its target audience. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Feb. 18, 2025

ISBN: 9780802856395

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Eerdmans

Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

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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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024

ISBN: 9780593702901

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024

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