"OH, NO," SAID ELEPHANT

Name: "OH, NO," SAID ELEPHANT
Author: A.H. Benjamin
ISBN: 978-988-8341-07-8

by A.H. Benjamin ; illustrated by Alireza Goldouzian ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2016

Kids will giggle over Elephant’s attempts to play and cheer when he finally triumphs. The underlying message reassures...

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Poor Elephant. Every time that Leopard, Monkey, and Zebra want to play a new game, Elephant says “Oh, no, I’m not good at that.” But he tries anyway.

For hide-and-seek, he’s too big. For leap-frog, he’s too tall. For jumping rope, he’s too clumsy. For hopscotch, he’s too heavy. For tag, he’s too slow. Each time the good-hearted, amiable Elephant tries his best, but he just can’t do it. Finally, it’s his turn to choose a game, and tug of war is just his specialty—because he’s too strong! Now it’s the animals’ turn to say, “Oh, no.” By itself, the story would work just fine, with its easy repetition and patterning, but it’s the large trim size, saturated colors, and comical details that enliven it and make it pop. Leopard and Zebra are clothed, and Elephant sports a plaid bow tie and pants. The facial expressions tell the whole story of what happens with each effort. The use of page space smartly plays up the differences in the sizes of the animals.

Kids will giggle over Elephant’s attempts to play and cheer when he finally triumphs. The underlying message reassures without being apparent . (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: June 1, 2016

ISBN: 978-988-8341-07-8

Page Count: 48

Publisher: minedition

Review Posted Online: April 12, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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TENNYSON’S BIG SECRET
by A.H. Benjamin ; illustrated by Peter Trimarco

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I'M A PRINCE!
by A.H. Benjamin ; illustrated by Alessandro Montagnana

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QUEST FOR THE NEPTIUS
by A.H. Benjamin

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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

- BOOK REVIEW
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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IZZY GIZMO AND THE INVENTION CONVENTION

From the Izzy Gizmo series

by Pip Jones ; illustrated by Sara Ogilvie ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2020

A disappointing follow-up.

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Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).

While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.

A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)