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LIBRARY DAY

From the My First Experience series

Calling all young children to libraries everywhere.

Don visits the local library with his dad and experiences the joys of storytime, meeting a new friend, selecting his own books to take home, and getting his very own library card.

There is a very traditional feeling about this local public library, although computers and bar codes are depicted and mentioned. There are movies on the shelf, but the young boy is really interested in books and magazines. There are baby toys in the illustrations (the bead and wire mazes so popular in today’s libraries), but even the baby pictured is glued to her board book, held upside down. An older boy is shown using a computer and wearing headphones, and some other kids are playing chess. The adults and children are ethnically diverse, and it is great to see a bilingual Puerto Rican librarian conducting one of the story sessions. (The book is dedicated to him, Miguel Garcia-Colón of the Byram Shubert Library in Greenwich, Connecticut, as well as two other beloved, deceased children’s librarians.) Reading is being celebrated, and the Rockwells have done a little bit of self-promotion—when Don sees a book about apples and pumpkins on the shelf, guess which one is pictured. Lizzy Rockwell’s clear, colorful, child-friendly watercolors and her mother’s accessible text combine to create a read-aloud that will work equally well for home or early childhood group settings.

Calling all young children to libraries everywhere. (Informational picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Jan. 12, 2016

ISBN: 978-1-4814-2731-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Aladdin

Review Posted Online: Sept. 15, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2015

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HEY, DUCK!

A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.

A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.

He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts.  When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.

A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013

ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012

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WOO HOO! YOU'RE DOING GREAT!

WOO-HOO! This is the perfect way to foster healthy self-esteem in little ones.

What’s better than a cheerleading chicken?

Are you ever blue, unsure, tired, or overworked? Do you ever feel lost or overwhelmed? This uplifting book, expressed in delightful, jaunty verse, explains how to lift your spirits pronto: What you need is a booster chicken telling you’re doing great even when you’re not so confident, as when you’re learning or practicing a new skill, for instance. Your feathered champion will be right there, encouraging you all the way, with a loud “WOO HOO!” that’ll keep you going and remove any doubt you’re super terrific. But what if your cheerful chick errs and doesn’t do what it set out to do? Don’t worry—your cheery chicken just needs a reminder that everyone makes mistakes. That alone is a pep talk, enhanced by the wisdom that making mistakes allows everyone to learn and demonstrate they did their best. So forgive yourself, chickens! But the best thing is…instead of relying on someone else—like a chicken—to strengthen your ego, say a generous daily “WOO HOO!” to yourself. This riotous book hits all the right notes and does so succinctly and hilariously. The energetic, comical illustrations, in Boynton’s signature style, will elicit giggles and go far to make the book’s important point. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

WOO-HOO! This is the perfect way to foster healthy self-esteem in little ones. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: April 4, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-316-48679-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023

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