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KICKS IN THE SKY

Name: KICKS IN THE SKY
Author: C.G. Esperanza
ISBN: 9780062976239

by C.G. Esperanza ; illustrated by C.G. Esperanza ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 5, 2023

A strikingly original pourquoi tale in which tennis shoes make life much more interesting.

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Ever wonder how pairs of shoes hanging on power lines got there?

This zany, poetic urban tale offers many answers, although “only birds knew” for sure. Neighbors have many theories: The shoes belonged to the deceased whose loved ones hung them there; aliens threw them onto the wires; the shoes indicate the meeting places of goblins and goons. A crew of motorcyclists disturb the pigeons, which flutter around and knock several sneakers onto the street. Danny dons a pair, and though he doesn’t know how to dance, somehow he shuffles all over town; Kris’ power-line kicks give her superhuman running, jumping, and dunking skills; and when Lili finds a pair too big for her feet, she wears one shoe like a helmet and can suddenly perform a host of fancy skateboard tricks. A boy known as pigeon-coop kid sprinkles breadcrumbs from his roof, prompting the birds to knock more shoes down, which gives many more neighborhood children the chance to try out these unusual sneakers. Neon pinks, yellows, oranges, and purples attract the kids to the shoes and draw readers into this fast-paced, entertaining story. The wildly energetic, psychedelic-hued illustrations bring these city scenes to life, and innovative perspectives and angles keep readers guessing what amazing abilities the shoes will bestow next. Most characters are Black or brown. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A strikingly original pourquoi tale in which tennis shoes make life much more interesting. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023

ISBN: 9780062976239

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
FISH FRY FRIDAY
by Winsome Bingham ; illustrated by C.G. Esperanza

- BOOK REVIEW
MY DADDY IS A COWBOY
by Stephanie Seales ; illustrated by C.G. Esperanza

- BOOK REVIEW
BOOGIE BOOGIE, Y’ALL
by C.G. Esperanza ; illustrated by C.G. Esperanza

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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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THE PUMPKIN THIEF

From the Leaf Thief series

by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 28, 2026

More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.

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Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.

Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.

More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)