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THE DREAM KEEPERS

Name: THE DREAM KEEPERS
Author: April Hartmann
ISBN: 978-1-57687-987-0

by April Hartmann ; illustrated by April Hartmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 17, 2021

An overworked metaphor may yet manage to inspire.

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In the Land of Dreams, Dream Keepers wait to help wishes and dreams do what they need to do to come true.

Wishes and dreams (used interchangeably) start in Inspiration Lake. When they come true, they end up in the sky as stars. Sometimes, wishes are easy to launch into the sky. But sometimes, reaching the sky requires traversing the rocky terrain of Challenge Mountain. For this reason, each dream (depicted as a smiling star) is assigned two Dream Keepers (depicted as blue beings in onesies) to help it successfully complete its journey. One Dream Keeper is in charge of Happy Thoughts, while the other is in charge of Hard Work. No matter how difficult the journey, dreams begin on the Path of Purpose and take things one step at a time. Dream Keepers help the dream move past distractions and to wade through the Swamp of Discovery, where all kinds of surprises await. Still, despite this care and attention, not every dream will make it: Many end up in the land of Lost Dreams instead of the sky. But no matter how far you get with your dream or your wish, the Dream Keepers make sure to celebrate your progress. This whimsically illustrated picture book is written in a colloquial voice that addresses readers with warmth and sincerity. While the complexity of the metaphor can be difficult to follow—and, at times, feels like it gets in the way of the story—the inspirational message shines through warmly.

An overworked metaphor may yet manage to inspire. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2021

ISBN: 978-1-57687-987-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: POW!

Review Posted Online: June 15, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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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...

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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RUBY FINDS A WORRY

From the Big Bright Feelings series

by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019

A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their...

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Ruby is an adventurous and happy child until the day she discovers a Worry.

Ruby barely sees the Worry—depicted as a blob of yellow with a frowny unibrow—at first, but as it hovers, the more she notices it and the larger it grows. The longer Ruby is affected by this Worry, the fewer colors appear on the page. Though she tries not to pay attention to the Worry, which no one else can see, ignoring it prevents her from enjoying the things that she once loved. Her constant anxiety about the Worry causes the bright yellow blob to crowd Ruby’s everyday life, which by this point is nearly all washes of gray and white. But at the playground, Ruby sees a boy sitting on a bench with a growing sky-blue Worry of his own. When she invites the boy to talk, his Worry begins to shrink—and when Ruby talks about her own Worry, it also grows smaller. By the book’s conclusion, Ruby learns to control her Worry by talking about what worries her, a priceless lesson for any child—or adult—conveyed in a beautifully child-friendly manner. Ruby presents black, with hair in cornrows and two big afro-puff pigtails, while the boy has pale skin and spiky black hair.

A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their feelings (. (Picture book. 4-6)