An affirming, multigenerational story about just how tricky it can be to speak up.
A tug-of-war with two tough grandmas turns into a triumph of self-expression.
Zara is lucky to live right in between both her grandmothers. The only problem? The two (very opinionated) grandmothers can never agree on anything. Grandma Jane wants Zara to have a unicorn birthday party, but Grandma Gladys thinks it should be mermaid-themed. Zara is worried about hurting their feelings, so all she can think to say is, “I don’t know.” Rather than offend either of them, she tries to please both and ends up wearing mismatched clothes and two different hairstyles, one on each side of her head (Grandma Jane likes florals and an Afro, but Grandma Gladys prefers geometric shapes and braids). Zara is so anxious about making them both happy that her tummy starts to hurt. Finally, enough is enough, and she admits that sometimes she wants to do things her own way. Both grandmothers are stunned but ultimately supportive, and the trio work together to create a mood board to bring to life Zara’s vision of her perfect birthday. Jones’ painted, mixed-media, cut-paper figures and objects are bold and inviting, set against a white background. The images are visually flat, with the collage style lending the characters an appealing, paper-doll feel; this is a gentle yet powerful lesson for people pleasers everywhere. Zara and her grandmothers are Black.
An affirming, multigenerational story about just how tricky it can be to speak up. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 8, 2025
ISBN: 9780063234239
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
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
BOOK REVIEW
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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