A rollicking, rhyming read-aloud gives kids ideas for things to do with someone else.
“Be twins / sleep in / skip stones / lick cones / rub noses / smell roses // scoot scooters / learn computers / pogo stick / apple pick.” Whether they portray the children with a sibling, friend, parent, or other grown-up, the illustrations, which range from whole-page to small vignettes, show kids exuberantly enjoying activities that represent such variety that all readers are sure to find something they will enjoy and are able to do geographically and financially. And sneakily, a few of the suggestions even involve good manners and being helpful—“snap beans,” “scramble eggs,” “plant flowers,” “set good examples,” “share a treat”—though a few will raise adult eyebrows—“misbehave” (jumping on the bed), “make trouble” (drawing on the wall), and “skinny dip.” Schwartz’s endearing characters show a wide assortment of skin tones and racial markers (including horizontal lines instead of dots for Asian characters’ eyes), and the groups are delightfully mixed in terms of gender, age, and relationship. A poster is printed on the back of the jacket flap, numbered thumbnails of the 100 activities surrounding the title and author’s name.
Sure to spark readers’ own lists of things they love to do. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2288-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2017
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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The Pigeon is on an emotional—and physical—roller coaster.
Since learning about the existence of roller coasters, he’s become giddy with excitement. The Pigeon prepares mentally: He’ll need a ticket and “exemplary patience” to wait in line. He envisions zooming up and down and careening through dizzying turns and loops. Then, he imagines his emotions afterward: exhilaration, post-ride blues, pride at having accomplished such a feat, and enthusiasm at the prospect of riding again. (He’ll also feel dizzy and nauseous.) All this before the Pigeon ever sets claw on an actual coaster. So…will he really try it? Are roller coasters fun? When the moment comes, everything seems to go according to plan: waiting in line, settling into the little car, THEN—off he goes! Though the ride itself isn’t quite what the Pigeon expected, it will delight readers. Wearing his feelings on his wing and speaking directly to the audience in first person, the Pigeon describes realistic thoughts and emotions about waiting and guessing about the unknown—common childhood experiences. No sentiment is misplaced; kids will relate to Pigeon’s eagerness and apprehension. The ending falls somewhat flat, but the whole humorous point is that an underwhelming adventure can still be thrilling enough to warrant repeating. Willems’ trademark droll illustrations will have readers giggling. The roller-coaster attendant is light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Roller-coaster enthusiasts or not, children will eagerly join our intrepid hero on this entertaining ride. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4549-4686-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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PERSPECTIVES
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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