Positive, inviting, and encouraging poems for young readers.
A collection of poetry for children explores self-worth.
This picture book featuring eight poems takes a kid’s-eye view of the world, emphasizing the importance of making mistakes as part of the growing process, being kind, and facing life with bravery and enthusiasm. Beginning with a poem about believing in yourself, the collection continues with ideas about getting better each day, sharing kindness and embracing differences, listening to your feelings, leading by knowing when to ask for help, standing up for what’s right and aiding others, and embracing your uniqueness. The overwhelming positivity of each poem makes this volume a good choice for young readers to speak aloud, instilling self-confidence with phrases like “Wherever I go, I blaze a new trail. / I believe in possibilities, even if I might fail.” The author and the illustrator use characters from previous entries in the Limitless Little Leaders series, including Lovey Livy Lu (2022) and Coco Courageous (2022). Though the names are never given here, the pictured characters serve as a nice connection to the earlier books and may intrigue readers new to the series to look up those adventures. Svobodová’s soft-edged digital art is full of bright colors and kid-friendly action, with a cast of diverse children. Lacqua’s rhymes are solid throughout, and though some phrases in the scansion are shorter than others, each poem lends itself well to sharing with parents.
Positive, inviting, and encouraging poems for young readers.Pub Date: Dec. 10, 2022
ISBN: 9798218099985
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Elivate
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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
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