THERE'S ROOM FOR EVERYONE

Name: THERE'S ROOM FOR EVERYONE
Author: Anahita Teymorian
ISBN: 978-1-910328-53-8

by Anahita Teymorian ; illustrated by Anahita Teymorian ; translated by Delaram Ghanimifard ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2019

Gentle political commentary reminds everyone about the power of kindness but is itself incomplete.

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An intimate musing on the nature of space.

A child marvels that at each stage of life, while growing, there always seems to be enough room: in the womb, for many stuffed animals squeezed into bed, for all the books in the library, and even for all the stars in the sky. Life may be crowded at times (the tot’s parents playfully curl around the perimeter of the frame with hopelessly long limbs), but there is always intentional space kept around the child. However, when the child grows up, space becomes a commodity. People begin to fight, whether that be for personal space on a bus, vocational space (to find one’s place in a company), over bathroom use, or in the geopolitical sphere—two tanks face off. The narrator poses a solution: “If we are kinder, and if we love each other then, in this beautiful world, there’s room for everyone.” Here, Iranian author/illustrator Teymorian’s characters are no longer stooped and curled but instead stand upright and happy. With so many people forcibly displaced from their homes throughout the world, one can only hope this message of kindness is heard. Such a strong global wish is in stark contrast to the lack of racial diversity in the illustrations. A few shades of skin are offered, but the majority present white.

Gentle political commentary reminds everyone about the power of kindness but is itself incomplete. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-910328-53-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tiny Owl

Review Posted Online: June 22, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2019

Categories:

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

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A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

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FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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THE PUMPKIN THIEF

From the Leaf Thief series

by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 28, 2026

More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.

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Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.

Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.

More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)