What would you do if your favorite book, the one you loved so much you made it your own, went missing?
A brown-skinned kid with glasses and puffy blue-black hair asks, “Have you seen this book?” So begins a humorous tale within a tale narrated in second-person in which the missing book is described cover to cover by its owner, even as it appears up close, page by page, on every spread. The book in question features pictures of unicorns, a dragon, a troll, and more, not to mention creative embellishments added by the child, like colorful stickers, folded-over corners, a picture of a ring, a survey, a page from a completely different book (to replace one yanked out by a little sister), even a baby picture. This lively tale offers stories on two levels, since the kid’s book can be read, too, along with the overarching story. Dynamic and energetic illustrations use a bright palette, a variety of perspectives, and dramatic close-ups of the protagonist’s expressions to draw readers in. However, the ending is more than a bit puzzling—ultimately not delivering on the tongue-in-cheek joke that sustains the story, as the kid’s book, it seems, may not be missing at all: While the protagonist claims to be looking for the book throughout the story, it appears in their outstretched hands at the end. Young readers may have some trouble following this confusing narrative. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An unsatisfying story about an unusual book. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 31, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11684-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
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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
A class visits the pumpkin patch, giving readers a chance to count down from 20.
At the farm, Farmer Mixenmatch gives them the tour, which includes a petting zoo, an educational area, a corn maze and a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch. Holub’s text cleverly though not always successfully rhymes each child’s name within the line: “ ‘Eighteen kids get on our bus,’ says Russ. / ‘But someone’s late,’ says Kate. / ‘Wait for me!’ calls Kiri.” Pumpkins at the tops of pages contain the numerals that match the text, allowing readers to pair them with the orange-colored, spelled-out numbers. Some of the objects proffered to count are a bit of a stretch—“Guess sixteen things we’ll see,” count 14 cars that arrived at the farm before the bus—but Smith’s artwork keeps things easy to count, except for a challenging page that asks readers to search for 17 orange items (answers are at the bottom, upside down). Strangely, Holub includes one page with nothing to count—a sign marks “15 Pumpkin Street.” Charming, multicultural round-faced characters and lots of detail encourage readers to go back through the book scouring pages for the 16 things the kids guessed they might see. Endpapers featuring a smattering of pumpkin facts round out the text.
Between its autumn and field-trip themes and the fact that not many books start countdowns from 20, this may find its way to many library shelves. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8075-6660-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS
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