A tender tale to help little ones master the days of the week—and find a way to savor each one.
Each day of the week means something different to this child.
The youngster is less than exuberant each Monday. With the weekend over, Mama goes to work and drops the protagonist off at day care. Fortunately, friends and fun brighten the little one’s spirits. Monday may be for moping, but “TUESDAY is for tiptoeing!” Dressed in a tutu and pink shoes, the child eagerly attends dance class after school. Each subsequent day highlights a different experience. “WEDNESDAY is for wiggling” (on Mama’s day off!), “THURSDAY is for thinking” (with a trip to the library), and “FRIDAY is for friends!” Saturday is spent with Gramma and Grandpa at the community garden, while the child rides scooters with Daddy by the canal on Sunday. The focus on what makes each day special might encourage families to look closely at their own routines and note favorite weekly traditions. Sterling’s pencil illustrations are smudgy and warm, imbuing the tale with a deep sense of affection, while Wong Nava’s energetic text is punctuated with exclamations. Every spread depicts characters laughing, playing, and relishing time spent together. Mama, Daddy, Gramma, and the child are brown-skinned, Grandpa is light-skinned, and their community is diverse. Context clues suggest that Mama and Daddy live in separate households, but this family’s love is what shines through most strongly.
A tender tale to help little ones master the days of the week—and find a way to savor each one. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781536242997
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
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
Nothing new here but a nonetheless congenial matriculant in publishing’s autumnal rite of back-to-school offerings.
The Crayons head back to class in this latest series entry.
Daywalt’s expository text lays out the basics as various Crayons wave goodbye to the beach, choose a first-day outfit, greet old friends, and make new ones. As in previous outings, the perennially droll illustrations and hand-lettered Crayon-speak drive the humor. The ever wrapperless Peach, opining, “What am I going to wear?” surveys three options: top hat and tails, a chef’s toque and apron, and a Santa suit. New friends Chunky Toddler Crayon (who’s missing a bite-sized bit of their blue point) and Husky Toddler Crayon speculate excitedly on their common last name: “I wonder if we’re related!” White Crayon, all but disappearing against the page’s copious white space, sits cross-legged reading a copy of H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man. And Yellow and Orange, notable for their previous existential argument about the color of the sun, find agreement in science class: Jupiter, clearly, is yellow AND orange. Everybody’s excited about art class—“Even if they make a mess. Actually…ESPECIALLY if they make a mess!” Here, a spread of crayoned doodles of butterflies, hearts, and stars is followed by one with fulsome scribbles. Fans of previous outings will spot cameos from Glow in the Dark and yellow-caped Esteban (the Crayon formerly known as Pea Green). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nothing new here but a nonetheless congenial matriculant in publishing’s autumnal rite of back-to-school offerings. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: May 16, 2023
ISBN: 9780593621110
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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