A cheery tale that highlights the importance of friendship, confidence, and working together.
Learning how to do your best can be complicated—and fun!
Sam, bespectacled and earnest, loves all of the celebrations—Pajama Day, Silly Hat Day, Super Sports-Fan Day, Space Travel Day—his class observes at school. But even though his teacher points out that it’s not a competition, it always seems to Sam that someone else’s outfit or offering is better than his. Schoenbrun’s appealing, cartoonlike illustrations feature a multiracial group of students enjoying school while Vernick’s straightforward text delivers the story clearly with gentle humor. When Take Your Octopus to School Day rolls around and it’s time for Sam to unveil his pet octopus, Thurgood, in his tank, he waits for oohs and aahs from his fellow students—and is shocked to find that his tank appears empty! Where could Thurgood be? Is there anyone in class who can help? Perhaps there is someone else who knows something about undersea creatures as well? There is: a boy named Caleb who has a pet squid, as it happens. This quirky tale of pet ownership focuses on social-emotional skills such as resilience, healthy competition, and cooperation while remaining light and entertaining and introducing the concept of camouflage as well (Thurgood is hiding in there somewhere!). Clearly, there will have to be a Camouflage Day next. But how will they see who the winner is? Sam presents white and Caleb black.
A cheery tale that highlights the importance of friendship, confidence, and working together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 25, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-399-55710-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school...
The familiar theme of the challenges facing a new kid in town is given an original treatment by photographer Border in this book of photos of three-dimensional objects in a simple modeled landscape.
Peanut Butter is represented by a slice of white bread spread with the popular condiment. The other characters in the story—a hamburger with a pair of hot dogs in tow, a bowl of alphabet soup, a meatball jumping a rope of spaghetti, a carton of French fries and a pink cupcake—are represented by skillfully crafted models of these foods, anthropomorphized using simple wire construction. Rejected by each character in turn in his search for playmates, Peanut Butter discovers in the end that Jelly is his true match (not Cupcake, as the title suggests), perhaps because she is the only one who looks like him, being a slice of white bread spread with jelly. The friendly foods end up happily playing soccer together. Some parents may have trouble with the unabashedly happy depiction of carbs and American junk food (no carrots or celery sticks in this landscape), and others may find themselves troubled by the implication that friendship across difference is impossible.
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school experiences. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 29, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-16773-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
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