A simple, heartwarming ode to sisterhood.
“Sometimes they fight. Sometimes they’re friends. A sister story never ends.”
Finison and Jackson take a slice-of-life approach to their portrayal of the ups and downs of almost any sibling bond. Lulu and her older sister, Zoey, have their spats (which sometimes turn into physical fights), as sisters do: They find each other’s games annoying and mess with each other’s stuff. But when there are stories to tell and mermaids to draw, they come together once again…and even share the best cookies. Rhythmic rhyming couplets imbue this story with upbeat energy, which is reflected in the dynamic, vibrantly colored single- and double-page–spread digital illustrations. The sisters’ relationship is refreshingly realistic, from power dynamics arising from their age gap to the way shared creative passions can quell conflict. Readers with siblings will surely find echoes of themselves in both characters and take comfort in the fact that the story ends happily. However much these sisters might disagree or get on each other’s nerves, they will always find room in their hearts for each other. And, just maybe, the story’s ending anticipates, for another sister. Zoey has medium brown skin, and Lulu has light brown skin; their mother is Black, and their dad is White-presenting; all female characters have natural hair. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A simple, heartwarming ode to sisterhood. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 7, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-7624-7398-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: Jan. 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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