Building friendships takes time and effort, but it’s fun and worth it. So is this book.
Sand castles don’t last long, but true friendship does.
Every day is a beach day for Cora and Shelly, two besties who live on the shore. After school, they suit up and head to the beach to build elaborate sand castles. Their constructions require “the right tools…loads of patience, and a good sense of humor.” Oh, and readiness to rebuild. But friendships, like sands, shift. One day, Shelly excitedly announces that she’s moving to the city to live with her mom. To Cora, it sounds like Shelly won’t miss anything—not even Cora. Over the next few days, Cora declines Shelly’s invitations to meet. Cora confides in supportive Mama, who explains that friendships resemble sand castles: “With the right tools—and some rebuilding—who’s to say they can’t last forever? The pals reassert their powerful bond and, even when they’re eventually separated, discover they have “the right tools” (stationery), “loads of patience” as they wait for the mail, and a “good sense of humor.” The best tool? They’re willing to rebuild. Kids should understand the sand castle–friendship metaphor in this sweet story. They’ll root for these pals and feel heartened at their ability to forge a lasting bond. The colorful digital illustrations are lively, and readers will admire the sand castles. Dark-haired Cora appears to be East Asian, while blond Shelley presents white.
Building friendships takes time and effort, but it’s fun and worth it. So is this book. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 14, 2024
ISBN: 9781250845689
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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