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ALL BY HIMSELF?

Name: ALL BY HIMSELF?
Author: Elana K. Arnold
ISBN: 978-1-5344-8989-9

by Elana K. Arnold ; illustrated by Giselle Potter ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 2022

A missed attempt that leaves readers feeling flat.

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When we help one another, we help the world go round.

The cover image offers a clue to the story within—hands of various skin tones holding blocks painted in primary colors. This foreshadowing continues throughout the text and the artwork, unfolding a temporal and geographical chain that connects a light-skinned boy who builds a tower of blocks (“all by himself!”) to the actions of the people who came before him: the light-skinned farmer who planted a seedling that became a tree, the brown-skinned arborist who tended the tree, the light-skinned woodcutter who felled the tree, the light-skinned woodworker who carved blocks from the wood, the brown-skinned artist who painted the blocks made from the wood of that tree, and so forth. People of all backgrounds do work to contribute to a thriving society—rather a heady theme for such a young picture book, though if caregivers or educators focus more on the lesson of how blocks are made, children may find it more appealing. The tale is conveyed in rhythmic language—reminiscent of “The House That Jack Built”—and watercolor-and-ink illustrations in an earth-toned palette in Potter’s signature style. Deep greens, browns, and oranges punctuated by bright blues and reds connect one spread to another, though in rather repetitive perspectives that likely won’t resonate with children, and depictions of people feel stilted. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A missed attempt that leaves readers feeling flat. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-5344-8989-9

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

- BOOK REVIEW
HARRIET TELLS THE TRUTH
by Elana K. Arnold ; illustrated by Dung Ho

- BOOK REVIEW
THE FISH OF SMALL WISHES
by Elana K. Arnold ; illustrated by Magdalena Mora

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BLOOD YEARS
by Elana K. Arnold

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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)