An inspiring ode to books and the heroes who make them available to those in need.
A voracious young reader meets a bike rider giving away books—and becomes inspired by his good work.
Lía reads all day, every day: “sitting down, upside down, and before bed almost every single night.” Though summer offers ample time to read, sadly, Lía’s access to books is limited; school is closed, and she lives far from the library. But at a nearby park, she meets Gabriel, a cyclist who rides around making books available to the public. With Gabriel busy visiting other parks, Lía decides to outfit her own bike with baskets filled with books. She recruits other kids, and before long, their idea has spread—across the neighborhood and then to cities all over the world. A plucky hero in the mold of climate activists Xiye Bastida and Greta Thunberg—both referenced in the text—Lía works hard to create the change she wishes to see in the world. Campoy and Howell’s child-friendly testament to the power of collective action concludes with backmatter explaining the real-life inspiration for the tale. Magro’s eclectic art conjures up a setting certain to enchant bibliophiles; various elements, from the roofs of houses to a red tent in which Lía holes up reading, resemble oversize books, while scribbly linework and the use of collage set a whimsical tone. Lía and Gabriel are brown-skinned; Lía’s community is diverse. Publishes simultaneously in Spanish.
An inspiring ode to books and the heroes who make them available to those in need. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9780063285125
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
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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