Empathy and kindness are just as important as ABCs and 123s, and Amanda gives readers a good lesson.
Amanda Panda starts off an unlikable kindergartner, but school (and exposure to other kids) teaches her how to be a friend, and that might be the most important lesson of all.
Amanda Panda (not the Amanda Panda of Sarah Dillard’s First Day at Zoo School) knows who she is, what she likes, and what she’s good at, and she has big plans for kindergarten. Those plans don’t include the girl panda in head-to-toe pink at the bus stop, though Bitsy does her best to be Amanda’s friend. While Amanda knows that she should return Bitsy’s compliment, she doesn’t. And when Bitsy sits at the table next to Amanda, “It is the end of the world.” Indeed, the day is rough, and Amanda can’t do anything quite right. So, at the end of a disastrous recess, she stealthily joins her older brother’s second-grade line and quits kindergarten. But the chairs are too big, and she can’t read the words. Just then a lost and afraid Bitsy appears to find her new friend. Amanda’s empathy finally manifests, and she leads Bitsy by the hand to kindergarten, where suddenly everything seems brighter and Bitsy is a friend. Amanda’s transformation is a bit sudden and extreme, and instead of combining their interests, Grove shows Amanda playing with Bitsy’s toys. Still, Grove’s watercolors masterfully portray Amanda’s every emotion, even the nasty ones.
Empathy and kindness are just as important as ABCs and 123s, and Amanda gives readers a good lesson. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-55455-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Doubleday
Review Posted Online: May 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2017
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BOOK REVIEW
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts.
In this latest slice in the Food Group series, Humble Pie learns to stand up to a busy friend who’s taking advantage of his pal’s hard work on the sidelines.
Jake the Cake and Humble Pie are good friends. Where Pie is content to toil in the background, Jake happily shines in the spotlight. Alert readers will notice that Pie’s always right there, too, getting A-pluses and skiing expertly just behind—while also doing the support work that keeps every school and social project humming. “Fact: Nobody notices pie when there’s cake nearby!” When the two friends pair up for a science project, things begin well. But when the overcommitted Jake makes excuse after excuse, showing up late or not at all, a panicked Pie realizes that they won’t finish in time. When Jake finally shows up on the night before the project’s due, Pie courageously confronts him. “And for once, I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it.” The friends talk it out and collaborate through the night for the project’s successful presentation in class the next day. John and Oswald’s winning recipe—plentiful puns and delightful visual jokes—has yielded another treat here. The narration does skew didactic as it wraps up: “There’s nothing wrong with having a tough conversation, asking for help, or making sure you’re being treated fairly.” But it’s all good fun, in service of some gentle lessons about social-emotional development.
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063469730
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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