Well-intentioned if imperfect attempts at cultivating an appreciation for arithmetic.
A homophonic snafu kicks off a count to hundred.
When Mommy responds to her little one’s declaration of love with an “I love you too,” the youngster playfully replies, “I love you three.” From there, the pair’s daily activities are set to rhyming affirmations of love, each experience prompting a tally of objects on the page. A backyard sailboat float inspires a count of 10 muddy fingers, while a walk on the beach encourages readers to sum 30 sandy footprints. Before the hard-won 100 arrives, readers enumerate—among other everyday items—50 states, 70 raindrops, and 90 glimmering stars, an officious bluebird chirping instructions all the while. McKellar’s copy thrums with a jaunty rhythm, Seussian in cadence, and the cheerful beat makes for a pleasant read-aloud. Those new to counting, however, may find the bird’s directions frustrating, since the items they’re instructed to calculate are far too small and haphazardly arranged to easily track with a fingertip. Further, while progress-tracking graphics offer an additional method for visualizing quantity, their inclusion clutters spreads that already teem with items to be summed; the result is visually overwhelming. Backmatter—including a “hundreds chart,” an author’s note, and directions on “how to get the most” out of the text—provides resources for parents eager to nip math anxiety in the bud. Characters are pale-skinned.
Well-intentioned if imperfect attempts at cultivating an appreciation for arithmetic. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781101933909
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
As ephemeral as a valentine.
Daywalt and Jeffers’ wandering crayons explore love.
Each double-page spread offers readers a vision of one of the anthropomorphic crayons on the left along with the statement “Love is [color].” The word love is represented by a small heart in the appropriate color. Opposite, childlike crayon drawings explain how that color represents love. So, readers learn, “love is green. / Because love is helpful.” The accompanying crayon drawing depicts two alligators, one holding a recycling bin and the other tossing a plastic cup into it, offering readers two ways of understanding green. Some statements are thought-provoking: “Love is white. / Because sometimes love is hard to see,” reaches beyond the immediate image of a cat’s yellow eyes, pink nose, and black mouth and whiskers, its white face and body indistinguishable from the paper it’s drawn on, to prompt real questions. “Love is brown. / Because sometimes love stinks,” on the other hand, depicted by a brown bear standing next to a brown, squiggly turd, may provoke giggles but is fundamentally a cheap laugh. Some of the color assignments have a distinctly arbitrary feel: Why is purple associated with the imagination and pink with silliness? Fans of The Day the Crayons Quit (2013) hoping for more clever, metaliterary fun will be disappointed by this rather syrupy read.
As ephemeral as a valentine. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Dec. 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5247-9268-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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