Kids have a job: to read this book. They’ll be great at it, and they’ll love the work.
Following on the heels of A Human for Kingsley (2023), this companion book follows the bushy-faced pooch as he looks for work.
Kingsley knows a job is a big responsibility, but he feels guilty when he sits in the comfortable chair at home and eats treats and plays with toys he hasn’t earned. After preparing a resume and indulging in a fragrant bath and luxurious blow-dry, Kingsley sets out, confident he’ll land something. He tries mightily, but he realizes humans are better at the jobs he applies for: waiter, florist, gardener, boutique worker, bookseller, department-store gift wrapper. What Kingsley really wants is a job at which he outshines everyone else. The sight of a small, familiar-looking girl on a bench makes Kingsley realize he already has an important job—one that only he can do. Young readers will be charmed by the sweet, deeply satisfying ending to this adorable Australian import. Like the first installment, this tale deals with genuine emotions and warm relationships. Readers will understand Kingsley’s thoughts through the kind, understanding voice of a droll, unseen narrator. Kingsley’s girl and other humans express themselves realistically and humorously, their dialogue rendered in different fonts and incorporated into softly colorful, delightfully expressive illustrations. Kingsley’s little girl is tan-skinned and curly-haired; background characters are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Kids have a job: to read this book. They’ll be great at it, and they’ll love the work. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9781761210211
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Hare/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 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
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