bookshelf

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.

bookshelf

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

bookshelf

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...

bookshelf

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
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

bookshelf

THE BIG CHEESE

From the Food Group series

by Jory John ; illustrated by Pete Oswald ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2023

From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers.

bookshelf

A winning wheel of cheddar with braggadocio to match narrates a tale of comeuppance and redemption.

From humble beginnings among kitchen curds living “quiet lives of pasteurization,” the Big Cheese longs to be the best and builds success and renown based on proven skills and dependable results: “I stuck to the things I was good at.” When newcomer Wedge moves to the village of Curds-on-Whey, the Cheese’s star status wobbles and falls. Turns out that quiet, modest Wedge is also multitalented. At the annual Cheese-cathlon, Wedge bests six-time winner Cheese in every event, from the footrace and chess to hat making and bread buttering. A disappointed Cheese throws a full-blown tantrum before arriving at a moment of truth: Self-calming, conscious breathing permits deep relief that losing—even badly—does not result in disaster. A debrief with Wedge “that wasn’t all about me” leads to further realizations: Losing builds empathy for others; obsession with winning obscures “the joy of participating.” The chastened cheddar learns to reserve bragging for lifting up friends, because anyone can be the Big Cheese. More didactic and less pun-rich than previous entries in the Food Group series, this outing nevertheless couples a cheerful refrain with pithy life lessons that hit home. Oswald’s detailed, comical illustrations continue to provide laughs, including a spot with Cheese onstage doing a “CHED” talk.

From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers. (Picture book. 4-8)