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THE GIRL WHO WAS TOO BIG FOR THE PAGE

Name: THE GIRL WHO WAS TOO BIG FOR THE PAGE
Author: Geena Davis
ISBN: 9780593463963

by Geena Davis ; illustrated by Geena Davis ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 29, 2025

Gawky and heavy-handed.

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A growth spurt shoots the protagonist right off the page in Academy Award–winning actor Davis’ debut picture book.

Sheila is the self-aware star of her own story. She’s “rather proud” of being “a girl who [lives] in a book,” since a captive audience will “read the book and wonder about her and want to know just what her deal” is. Pale-skinned with sandy-brown hair, Sheila hits developmental milestones: She walks, she talks, she starts kindergarten, and, as one generally does, she gets older—“exactly one year older for every year that [goes] by.” Then, a dramatic, off-page growth spurt “change[s] everything.” Readers can still see Sheila, “but only about up to her neck.” Sheila contorts herself to stay visible but becomes “very self-conscious.” It takes reassurance from a friend to remind her that “people are valuable and special no matter what’s different about them.” Davis’ watercolorlike illustrations feature pastel-hued portraits in occasionally clumsy proportions that vary little in perspective. The conflict is abruptly resolved, while the pseudo-meta construct of framing the moral within a picture book feels forced; the message for readers to be comfortable taking up space is far more capably accomplished in Vashti Harrison’s Caldecott Medal–winning Big (2023).

Gawky and heavy-handed. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 29, 2025

ISBN: 9780593463963

Page Count: 34

Publisher: Philomel

Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

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FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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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)