AT THE END OF HOLYROOD LANE

Name: AT THE END OF HOLYROOD LANE
Author: Dimity Powell
ISBN: 978-1-925335-76-7

by Dimity Powell ; illustrated by Nicky Johnston ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 2018

Expressive illustrations and text rich with poetic vocabulary share a sensitive story with a message about asking for help...

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A young girl conquers her fear of storms and learns to ask for help.

At her home beneath the beech trees at the end of Holyrood Lane, young Flick loves to frolic, cavort, and play in the sunshine. She dreads the unpredictable arrival of storms that hurt her ears, ruin her fun, and make her feel small. During the storms, she hides on her own from the thunder. One day, while chasing a rainbow, Flick finds herself caught amid the dark clouds, winds, and rain with no time to hide. Vivid language and personification heighten the intensity of the storms, giving them force and raging emotions. When storms arrive, they “bully the curtains,” “smother sunshine,” “ransack fun,” and “fume.” The watercolor illustrations that accompany the text fill the pages, leaving no space without a purpose. Swirling clouds in deep grays and blues press in on Flick, even when she hides inside under the laundry basket or her bed, capturing the energy of her frightened imagination. Although the story focuses on the theme of overcoming fears, the text never invalidates Flick’s concerns. In order to face what frightens her, Flick learns that she can seek help when she feels overwhelmed. Flick, who presents white, appears alone throughout save one illustration in which she shares an umbrella with a mostly hidden companion, a device that focuses readers’ attention on her agency and choice.

Expressive illustrations and text rich with poetic vocabulary share a sensitive story with a message about asking for help when a situation feels scary. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-925335-76-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: EK Books

Review Posted Online: Sept. 16, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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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
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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RUBY FINDS A WORRY

From the Big Bright Feelings series

by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019

A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their...

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Ruby is an adventurous and happy child until the day she discovers a Worry.

Ruby barely sees the Worry—depicted as a blob of yellow with a frowny unibrow—at first, but as it hovers, the more she notices it and the larger it grows. The longer Ruby is affected by this Worry, the fewer colors appear on the page. Though she tries not to pay attention to the Worry, which no one else can see, ignoring it prevents her from enjoying the things that she once loved. Her constant anxiety about the Worry causes the bright yellow blob to crowd Ruby’s everyday life, which by this point is nearly all washes of gray and white. But at the playground, Ruby sees a boy sitting on a bench with a growing sky-blue Worry of his own. When she invites the boy to talk, his Worry begins to shrink—and when Ruby talks about her own Worry, it also grows smaller. By the book’s conclusion, Ruby learns to control her Worry by talking about what worries her, a priceless lesson for any child—or adult—conveyed in a beautifully child-friendly manner. Ruby presents black, with hair in cornrows and two big afro-puff pigtails, while the boy has pale skin and spiky black hair.

A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their feelings (. (Picture book. 4-6)