ONE OF A KIND

Name: ONE OF A KIND
Author: Ariel S. Winter
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2016-8

by Ariel S. Winter & illustrated by David Hitch ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 5, 2012

While not unique, this lighthearted story helps children appreciate their own special qualities and build the courage to...

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For one lonesome boy, fitting in means standing out.

Lysander Singleton is the only only child at Twin Oaks Elementary. He tries his best to connect with the built-in pairs of twin classmates at his school but often finds himself friendless and feeling unimportant. The bright, digital artwork, blending a ’60s retro style with an Edwardian fashion aesthetic, highlights Lysander’s ongoing frustration. His situation just may change when the school hosts its annual Twindividuation, a daylong series of events meant to encourage individuality. With twins divided into two separate teams and given mismatched uniforms, Lysander expects to be left out once again. But he aces the solo singing competition, the one-man relay and a wickedly spot-on twin dilemma, the Isolated Ice Cream Inquiry. In this last, he chooses an ice-cream flavor without the benefit of sibling consultation in a record-setting 15 seconds, finally gaining confidence and the recognition he deserves. Winning the Simondon-Stiegler Cup, the individual award for individuality, proves it.

While not unique, this lighthearted story helps children appreciate their own special qualities and build the courage to express them. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 5, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-4424-2016-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Aladdin

Review Posted Online: April 10, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2012

Categories:

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)