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SOME DAYS

Name: SOME DAYS
Author: Daniela Sosa
ISBN: 9781665961981

by Daniela Sosa ; illustrated by Daniela Sosa ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 12, 2026

Offers readers young and old the invaluable gift of perspective.

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A rich recognition of the things that make ordinary days special.

Familiar daily activities—cooking, playing, going to school—occupy adults and children, diverse in skin tone and hair color. Hours spent sick in bed drag, while a day at the amusement park “go[es] by in a wink.” On some days, strenuous effort (like that required to master riding a bike) seems futile, until “it all finally clicks.” Surprises, disappointments, change, rain, sadness at the loss of a pet: Sosa explores the events—and non-events—that make up life. Tears come and go, and sometimes we even exult, “This is the best day ever!” Finally, a grown-up and child snuggled up for a bedtime book consider a most kind and attentive question: “How was your day?” Sosa’s conversational text is rhythmically right, and her bright illustrations are warm and realistic, with just enough detail and reassuring continuity; the adult depicted in the first illustration returns as the reader in the last. Books, bowls of cereal, a snowman, an ever-present cat: Readers will smile in recognition at these familiar trappings. And Sosa sensitively acknowledges that “the same day can feel very different to different people”—a raucous birthday party might be overwhelming to quieter children. Bad days will pass, and so will good days. This book helpfully reminds readers to be both hopeful and grateful—to anticipate better things, but never to take those good things for granted.

Offers readers young and old the invaluable gift of perspective. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: May 12, 2026

ISBN: 9781665961981

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
GIANT PARSNIP SOUP
by Daniela Sosa ; illustrated by Daniela Sosa

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SUITCASE
by Daniela Sosa ; illustrated by Daniela Sosa

- BOOK REVIEW
FRIENDS
by Daniela Sosa ; illustrated by Daniela Sosa

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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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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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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)