A tender portrayal of a child’s bond with an elderly neighbor.
A young Black boy visits his neighbor each morning, only to find that a cherished gospel hymn has slipped from the older man’s memory.
Caius, who used to sing frequently with his grandfather, knows that songs can be memories that “make even the coldest day feel like summer.” Determined to help Mr. Johnson, Caius embarks on a quiet search—reading books, listening to records, and, finally, talking to his grandmother—to recover the lost lyrics and, in doing so, preserves a shared piece of cultural history. Enhancing the story, an author’s note frames gospel hymns as a longstanding tradition in Black communities, linking past to future and bridging generations. Vanece also explores the history of the song in question, “Further Along,” once heard in churches and later recorded by artists from Sam Cooke to Dolly Parton, adding depth and cultural resonance to the narrative. Orlando’s warm illustrations deepen both the hymn and the story, layering emotional texture with historical detail and a vivid sense of the present. Vanece’s prose demonstrates how a child’s unprompted empathy and support for an older neighbor can make a meaningful difference in both of their lives. Also commendable is how the story quietly reflects the reality of many children’s lives by depicting a nontraditional family structure (Caius lives alone with his grandmother) without making it a point of conflict or focus.
A tender portrayal of a child’s bond with an elderly neighbor. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025
ISBN: 9780593617816
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
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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A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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