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TEACHERS IN THE WILD

Name: TEACHERS IN THE WILD
Author: Brad Davidson
ISBN: 9780316516303

by Brad Davidson ; illustrated by Rachel Más Davidson ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 7, 2026

A funny, canny spoof with a message.

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A (mock) anthropological look at what educators do when they’re not working.

Sitting in a classroom, a brown-skinned kid with two long dark braids and a gap-toothed smile breaks the fourth wall to relay some news to readers: “Did you know that teachers exist outside school too? It’s true!” When they’re not at school, the child reports, teachers can be found “in the wild,” where they “roam freely, so there’s no telling where they might be”: visiting the dentist, heading to the hair salon, and so on. Corresponding images show youngsters reacting to such teacher sightings with delight or comical alarm. The narrator offers advice on dealing with at-large teachers: “Stay calm. It’ll be shocking at first, but try not to panic. They won’t bother you if you don’t bother them.” The book’s unspoken but loud-and-clear takeaway—every person is fully human—crescendos in a bustling concluding spread: Seven teachers—in a range of skin colors, one with a dog, one on a skateboard—go about their business in a crowd, or “in the WILD!” as the narrator, with “ta-da” arms, announces from their midst. This is one of those perfectly pitched books whose humor will work on adults as well as kids; so will the robust digitally enhanced art incorporating a plethora of media, including chalk and spray paint.

A funny, canny spoof with a message. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: July 7, 2026

ISBN: 9780316516303

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
I LIKE YOUR FACE
by Brad Davidson ; illustrated by Rachel Más Davidson

- BOOK REVIEW
POCKET FULL OF SADS
by Brad Davidson ; illustrated by Rachel Más Davidson

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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
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- 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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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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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)