DAISY'S BIG DIG

Name: DAISY'S BIG DIG
Author: Angie Morgan
ISBN: 978-1-84780-208-8

by Angie Morgan ; illustrated by Angie Morgan ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 2013

Straddling the line between cute and down-to-earth, this is one gardening book that will strike its readers as blooming...

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Community and cultivation mix and mulch in a sweet, but not cloying, British import.

Young Daisy may get a kick out of conversing with the neighbors on her street, but she seems to be the only one who does. Though everyone from old Mr. Hofmeister to the perpetually baking Mrs. Benjamin is friendly, folks keep to themselves. When Mr. Hofmeister confesses to Daisy that he’s hurt his back and can’t work his garden, the intrepid little girl devises a brilliant solution. Next thing anyone knows, she’s invited the whole neighborhood to a digging party with the added incentive of “hidden treasure.” The party’s a hit, with lonely widows pairing well with overtaxed mothers, a home-schooled genius bonding with a local professor, and even the university students hitting it off with normally grumpy Mr. Hofmeister. Now everyone’s happier and healthier, though it’s up to child readers to determine the secret treasure. Cheery watercolors and collage give the plot a special perk, and adults will dig (pun fully intended) as many tiny details as their children. Though allusions to the “hidden treasure” threaten to border on the insipid, the book deftly avoids the usual perils

Straddling the line between cute and down-to-earth, this is one gardening book that will strike its readers as blooming lovely. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2013

ISBN: 978-1-84780-208-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Frances Lincoln

Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
I REALLY, REALLY DON'T LIKE PARTIES
by Angie Morgan ; illustrated by Angie Morgan

- BOOK REVIEW
THAT'S MY BLANKET, BABY!
by Angie Morgan ; illustrated by Kate Alizadeh

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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

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

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

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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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)