bookshelf

WALTER FINDS HIS VOICE

Name: WALTER FINDS HIS VOICE
Author: Ann Kim Ha
ISBN: 9781636550503

THE STORY OF A SHY CROCODILE

by Ann Kim Ha ; illustrated by Ann Kim Ha ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 2, 2023

Emboldens readers with the knowledge that bravery is not the absence of fear.

bookshelf

A timid crocodile learns to express himself.

Walter likes to skim through the water with just his eyes visible—not to sneak up on possible prey but because he is shy. Walter’s inner voice is filled with self-doubt. When seeing his aquatic friends having fun, Walter anxiously wonders, “WHAT IF I SAY SOMETHING WRONG? WHAT IF THEY LAUGH AT ME? WHAT IF I SCARE THEM AWAY?” Walter slowly slinks back down below the surface, out of sight. But one morning the heron twins are bullying Walter’s friend Turtle. As the birds toss him back and forth like a ball, Walter pushes through his fear and shouts (across a double-page spread, with his toothy mouth open wide), “STOP MESSING WITH MY FRIEND!” In that moment, Walter learns that even a gentle soul can be filled with courage—and being brave doesn’t mean you don’t still get scared or nervous. In Ha’s picture-book debut, soothing green and blue watercolors deftly mirror Walter’s watery habitat and his quiet nature. Quirky details (at a party for Walter and his friends, Turtle, balloons tied to his tail, inadvertently starts to levitate) and expressive eyes on the full cast—even when that is all readers can see of Walter—brim with warmth and personality. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Emboldens readers with the knowledge that bravery is not the absence of fear. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: May 2, 2023

ISBN: 9781636550503

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Red Comet Press

Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A FRIEND FOR EDDY
by Ann Kim Ha ; illustrated by Ann Kim Ha

bookshelf

LITTLE BLUE TRUCK LOST AND FOUND

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18, 2026

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.

bookshelf

Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.

After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026

ISBN: 9780063436121

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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)