Young adventure-seekers will be pleased.
Who’s ready for an adventure?
When Clarke, a young girl with tan skin and short brown hair, moves to Ventureton, her new neighbor Miguel, a boy with light brown skin and black hair, welcomes her. The two hit it off immediately and exchange gifts: Miguel comes prepared to make a friend and brings a walkie-talkie, and Clarke improvises by giving Miguel a compass. In their first official adventure as a pair, Miguel helps Clarke make a map of the area so she knows where things are in her neighborhood. Along the way, Miguel learns about the points on a compass. Soon, he becomes convinced that Clarke’s map is really a treasure map—and the duo follow it to an ultimately delicious conclusion. The story, broken into four short chapters, is simple but exciting enough to keep new readers invested in seeing where it leads. The text also includes enough reach words—treasure, adventure, railroad-crossing—to make educators and caregivers happy. The illustrations are bright and engaging, if somewhat undistinguished. The book doesn’t contain a vocabulary list to help remind readers of words and phrases they may have learned. Instead, a guide that “teaches” them to draw Clarke is included but provides little useful instruction. Overall, though, the hits outnumber the misses, making this a fun and helpful tool for intrepid readers.
Young adventure-seekers will be pleased. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-338-80582-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Acorn/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Amusing but a little off tempo.
It’s important to hit all the right notes.
A tan-skinned musical composer with puffy black hair is busy at work on his next musical masterpiece when Half Note, a music symbol denoting two beats, feels unappreciated. Half Note is jealous of the more commonly used Quarter Note (one beat) and Eighth Note. Although the other musical symbols attempt to calm and comfort Half Note, she decides to run away. The next day, Composer needs Half Note and panics when he realizes that she’s gone. The other notes and musical symbols try to find her, but it’s only when they try to play her favorite song, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” without her—with terrible results—that she comes running back. The story’s humor—which is largely based on “dad joke” puns—is completely dependent on readers’ musical knowledge. The artwork, a mix of acrylic and colored pencil, attempts to add some allegrezza to the piece, and while it’s not unsuccessful, it’s facing an uphill battle. Music teachers and musically minded caregivers may find some value in this story, but it will likely be too specialized for general readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Amusing but a little off tempo. (glossary) (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-64567-631-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
Teamwork and camaraderie are strong factors in any soccer game.
Sam advocates for his friend, May, by allowing her to play on his soccer team after she’s been told she cannot join in.
The game continues and everyone takes a participatory role. “Lin kicks the ball. // They run. / They pass. // We block. But we do not get the ball. // Lin kicks again. / She gets it in. ‘Score!’ they yell.” Short declarative sentences, just one or two per page, with a controlled vocabulary build to provide suspense and excitement from each team’s perspective. The carefully crafted first-person text repeats a core list of words in a variety of sentences that move the action along, allowing more-proficient new readers to feel accomplished. Sam and May eventually get the ball back to succeed in a winning score. “I need to score one more. / It is up to me. May yells, ‘Kick it in, Sam!’ // But I pass the ball to May. / I will let her try. // May kicks. // May scores! // We win!” Simple, finally outlined cartoon characters include a multiracial cast—Sam presents white while May has brown skin and straight, black hair—in varying soccer poses that serve as good picture cues for the action described. The modest story is poignant in its underlying message of inclusion and supportive friendship.
Teamwork and camaraderie are strong factors in any soccer game. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4514-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
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