A pleasing morality tale on the importance of friendship and teamwork
Bespectacled, brown-skinned English-speaker Annie, white Swede Lillemor, and dark-complected Francophone Lilianne are back again as Dunklee and Smith team up in this follow-up to Me Too! (2015).
This time around the multilingual trio sets out to conquer the music world, or at least the school talent show, as an all-girl vocal trio. Things seem to be off to a good start when Lillemor and Lilianne quickly agree on a song to perform for the show, but Annie forcefully asserts her own idea that they make up their own song. In fact, Annie vetoes all her friends’ opinions, “Because this whole thing was my idea.” The trio quickly dissolves as Annie makes it all about “me, me, me,” leaving her friends behind to pursue a solo act. Annie learns the hard way what it’s like to not have her opinion listened to, while Lillemore and Lilianne discover their duo is lacking an important piece. Ready to truly work as a team, the girls reunite just in time to perform in the school talent show. Themes of empathy, diversity and cooperation abound. Bright, digitally rendered illustrations are sure to appeal to young audiences, while the character-development lesson is sure to appeal to many adults.
A pleasing morality tale on the importance of friendship and teamwork . (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-77138-660-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2017
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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
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Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...
Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.
First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-55453-704-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
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