May very well help children who share the protagonist’s anxieties.
A girl who frets every time the weekend wraps up finds ways to cope.
It’s Friday, school is out, and Josie is psyched to begin her weekend. But on Sunday afternoon, she gets a pit in her stomach that can mean only one thing: “Monday is coming.” So one Sunday afternoon, she makes some desperate attempts to get out of school the next day (for instance, clutching her belly and saying, “Mom, call 911. I think it’s my APPENDA-SOMETHING”). Finally, Josie confesses her worries about Monday to her parents: “WHAT IF MY TEACHER’S SICK? WHAT IF I FORGET MY LIBRARY BOOK AGAIN?” and so on. Not only does talking about her problem make Josie feel better, but it turns out that her parents get the Sunday Scaries too; comparing notes with them empowers Josie to face the school week. This story is all message and light on storytelling beats, but for readers who share Josie’s particular anxiety, it may be just what the mental-health professional ordered. While the text strains to inject levity, Naidu finds an inventive way to convey Josie’s jitters with her caricaturish art: A giant, hairy-looking green “MONDAY” appears on the wall of her bedroom and follows her around the house, the ends of the letters becoming vine-like arms that reach for her. Josie and Mom are brown-skinned; Dad is beige-skinned.
May very well help children who share the protagonist’s anxieties. (more on the Sunday Scaries, note to caregivers) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
ISBN: 9780593904381
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
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
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...
Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.
First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-55453-704-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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