bookshelf

NAUGHTY TOES

Name: NAUGHTY TOES
Author: Ann Bonwill
ISBN: 978-1-58925-103-8

by Ann Bonwill & illustrated by Teresa Murfin ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2011

A refreshing take on the need to follow one's own heart—or feet.

bookshelf

Chloe knows how hard it can be to follow the beat of your own dancing drum.

Her graceful sister Belinda perfectly meets all requirements of Madame Mina's ballet class. Chloe, however, is the constant misfit; she chooses a multi-hued ensemble, her pigtails fizz out and she crashes into a fellow dancer, the lone boy in her class. Madame's descriptive instructions successfully encourage almost all her young pupils to emulate a classic ballerina. "Sway like flowers!… Flutter like butterflies!" But instead, Chloe moves like a “cloud with gusto.” Her teacher's sharp reprimands (“naughty toes!”) point to Chloe's role in their final performance (her sister stars as the fairy princess, but Chloe is a rock). The initially rigid instructor and piano accompanist demonstrate a more receptive demeanor by recital's end; their gift to Chloe reflects a growing appreciation for her toe-tapping spirit. Chloe's deadpan narration is efficient. “My sister, Belinda, is a ballerina. I, Chloe, am not.” Pitch-perfect body language reflects Chloe's embarrassment and her battle to express herself. Light graph-paper backgrounds try to exert order, while soft colors accentuate each contrasting behavior. Chloe's family shines, supporting their daughter's individuality without restricting her style.

A refreshing take on the need to follow one's own heart—or feet. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2011

ISBN: 978-1-58925-103-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tiger Tales

Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

- BOOK REVIEW
WHEN MERMAIDS SLEEP
by Ann Bonwill ; illustrated by Steve Johnson ; Lou Fancher

- BOOK REVIEW
I AM NOT A COPYCAT!
by Ann Bonwill ; illustrated by Simon Rickerty

- BOOK REVIEW
THE FRAZZLE FAMILY FINDS A WAY
by Ann Bonwill ; illustrated by Stephen Gammell

bookshelf

SPAGHETTI HEAD & CHICKEN FINGERS

by Rhett McLaughlin & Link Neal ; illustrated by Erica Salcedo ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2026

Wild and wacky.

bookshelf

A picture book from the comedy duo known as Rhett & Link, creators of the online juggernaut Good Mythical Morning.

Lumo is obsessed with chicken fingers; Saffy, who is new to town and anxious about starting school, finds comfort in the only food she likes: buttered spaghetti. The night before the first day of school, a thunderstorm rages, and each kid makes a wish—“to have chicken fingers at school,” in Lumo’s case; Saffy wishes for “the first thing off the top of her head: buttered spaghetti.” File under “Be careful what you wish for.” Lumo’s and Saffy’s respective physical changes (chicken fingers for fingers, spaghetti for hair) make navigating school a challenge but bring them together in the cafeteria, where they enjoy some new foods—and their new friendship. The plotting could have been sharper: Why do the kids’ bodies suddenly return to normal? And couldn’t the authors have thought up a less old-hat story-ending punch line? Nevertheless, McLaughlin and Neal get by on their charm, and the plot sets up some funny visuals. Salcedo’s cartoony Photoshop art features well-chosen artifacts from a typical kid’s life and captures the mortification of not fitting in, which will be familiar even to readers who have never experienced breaded fingers or noodle hair. Lumo is brown-skinned and dark-haired; Saffy is pale-skinned with disheveled reddish-brown hair.

Wild and wacky. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: June 16, 2026

ISBN: 9780063474154

Page Count: 32

Publisher: HarperPop/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: March 23, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

bookshelf

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...

bookshelf

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)