Potentially useful but didactic insights on coping with childhood tantrums.
After a beloved game goes awry, a young girl learns how to deal with her anger.
While playing secret agents with her brother, Charlie, little Pia noisily trips, inadvertently alerting Mom and Dad to the kids’ special mission. “Try again!” encourages Dad. “We’ll pretend we didn’t see.” But frustrated Pia doesn’t want to; exploding with sadness, rage, “and a lot of other feelings she couldn’t quite name,” she stomps her feet, kicks, and shrieks. As in the family’s first outing, That’s My Truck! (2025), Mom assumes the lead, firmly taking Pia upstairs to her room. Instead of giving Pia the timeout that readers may be expecting, this calm, knowledgeable mother realizes that her child is a DPK (a “deeply feeling kid”) and offers loving support. This second series entry, also steeped in Kennedy’s child-rearing philosophy—as espoused on her website—exhibits the same issues as the first. Much of the narrative involves Mom serving as a quiet, steady presence as Pia works through her emotions—it’s a useful model for parents whose kids have frequent outbursts, but little ones are unlikely to find it all that compelling. Stone’s uncluttered illustrations feel a bit static, reflecting the action of the text but adding little else. Adults may wish that Pia and Charlie’s father played a more active role. Characters are illustrated with varying shades of brown or tan skin.
Potentially useful but didactic insights on coping with childhood tantrums. (Q&A with information for caregivers) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
ISBN: 9781250413116
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...
Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.
First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-55453-704-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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