Engaging.
Kids lose their dog and find adventure.
Siblings Poppy and Cy are bereft about their missing terrier, Goldie, who is depicted in a small, framed, black-and-white picture behind them in the first illustration. They distract themselves by playing hide-and-seek in the woods, where the illustrations begin to embrace the surreal style Browne is known for. Shadows and shapes invite the eye to see hidden forms and make meaning of them. Cy hides in a crude hut made of sticks, and Poppy seeks him, with the point of view shifting to align viewers with one or the other of them. The perspective also zooms in and out to underscore readers’ alignment with the children and to enhance their sense of the vast, eerie forest. Eagle-eyed readers will spy the shapes of various animals and objects hiding in the woods as Poppy seeks her brother, who becomes increasingly frightened. Then both siblings are scared when they hear a sound, but a page turn reveals Goldie bounding toward Cy in a wordless, full-bleed spread. Poppy soon finds them both, and happily reunited, the trio returns home to their trailer at the edge of the woods. A list at book’s end invites readers to search prior pages to find the hidden animals and objects in the dreamlike images. Both Poppy and Cy have pale skin.
Engaging. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0260-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A deliciously sweet reminder to try one’s unique best.
This smart cookie wasn’t alwaysa smart cookie.
At the corner of Sweet Street stands a bakery, which a whole range of buns and cakes and treats calls home, including a small cookie who “didn’t feel comfortable speaking up or sharing” any ideas once upon a time. During the early days of gingerbread school, this cookie (with sprinkles on its top half, above its wide eyes and tiny, smiling mouth) never got the best grades, didn’t raise a hand to answer questions, and almost always finished most tests last, despite all best efforts. As a result, the cookie would worry away the nights inside of a cookie jar. Then one day, kind Ms. Biscotti assigns some homework that asks everyone “to create something completely original.” What to do? The cookie’s first attempts (baking, building a birdhouse, sculpting) fail, but an idea strikes soon enough. “A poem!” Titling its opus “My Crumby Days,” the budding cookie poet writes and writes until done. “AHA!” When the time arrives to share the poem with the class, this cookie learns that there’s more than one way to be smart. John and Oswald’s latest installment in the hilarious Food Group series continues to provide plenty of belly laughs (thanks to puns galore!) and mini buns of wisdom in a wholly effervescent package. Oswald’s artwork retains its playful, colorful creative streak. Although slightly less effective than its predecessors due to its rather broad message, this one’s nonetheless an excellent addition to the menu.(This book was reviewed digitally.)
A deliciously sweet reminder to try one’s unique best. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-304540-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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