by Deborah Serani & Kyra Teis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 21, 2021
A resourceful, expertly written tale that explores and validates children’s emotions.
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A child copes with anger in this picture book.
Using the refrain “Sometimes when I’m mad,” a girl explains what happens when “everything goes wrong.” Mama says, “Sometimes when we’re mad, it’s because we can’t control what’s happening,” advising her to focus on what she “can control.” Working on a puzzle makes the girl feel better. When she is mad because “nothing feels right,” like her “socks are too scratchy,” Papa tells her: “When we feel mad, we may be tired.” Following a nap, she feels less irritated. After she notes, “When I’m mad, my body doesn’t feel good,” she receives a soothing hug from Grandma. When the girl reacts in ways “that don’t help,” such as yelling at her brother, Grandpa suggests apologizing. On the playground, the girl doesn’t know “how to act.” Her teacher points out: “Sometimes when we’re mad, it’s hard to understand…what we’re feeling and why.” He recommends talking to a trusted person. Chatting with Mama improves the girl’s mood. The story portrays realistic scenarios that will resonate with readers. Serani, a psychologist, utilizes approachable language and helpful examples that demonstrate tools and coping skills. The insights are ideal for kids and adults. Teis’ graphic illustrations, which depict an Asian American family, have an unusual, photographic quality. They thoughtfully emphasize the girl’s emotions and body language, as when she sits alone feeling “icky and tricky.” Many feature colorful backdrops with textures like scratches and lines.
A resourceful, expertly written tale that explores and validates children’s emotions.Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-63-198609-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Free Spirit Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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...
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
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by Jory John ; illustrated by Pete Oswald ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2023
From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers.
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)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780063329508
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2023
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