Captivating and heartfelt.
The poignant story of a tree’s life cycle.
As a sapling, Linden is planted in an apartment complex’s courtyard. Over time, he grows taller. Sometimes, he wishes he were something else—a tall lighthouse or a barn. But others appreciate Linden for what he is. His beautiful blooms attract bees, and the flowers’ fragrance wafts into windows. Linden serves other purposes: A resident hangs a clothesline from a branch; a child writes poetry ensconced on a limb. Linden helps the neighbors throughout the year. In summer, they gather under his branches to relax and socialize in the shade; some sway to the music of a resident’s fiddle. In fall, kids play among Linden’s leaves. Come winter, neighbors decorate Linden with bright lights. One spring, however, Linden falls ill. His flowers don’t bloom, and his friends can’t cheer him. When Linden’s last leaf drops, men with machines remove him. But one day, the residents discover Linden left a marvelous gift behind to prove that he “had loved them too”—a new sapling grows where he once stood. This heartfelt, beautifully told tale will fill readers with both joy and sadness. Children will feel reassured by the growth of the new tree in Linden’s place, heartened by the certainty of nature’s renewal. The glowing watercolor-and-gouache illustrations are lovely, capturing the warm closeness between Linden and his friends. The neighbors are racially diverse.
Captivating and heartfelt. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9781958325100
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Marble Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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
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