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WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?

Name: WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?
Author: James Catchpole
ISBN: 9780316506472

by James Catchpole ; illustrated by Karen George ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 11, 2023

Delightful, necessary, and long overdue.

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A boy fields questions about his missing leg in this British import.

On the playground, Joe is a pirate, battling crocodiles and sharks. Just as Joe’s about to vanquish Señor Sharkface, brown-skinned Kid One interrupts: “YOU’VE ONLY GOT ONE LEG!” Then comes a question that disabled readers will recognize instantly: “What happened to you?” Joe, not keen on telling “that story,” replies, “What do you think?” That unleashes an avalanche of guesses as racially diverse kids join the conversation. Did it fall in the toilet? Is Joe hiding it? But answering “no” over and over exhausts even a pirate. Though kids will giggle at the silly scenarios and George’s bright, expressive cartoon illustrations, Joe’s frustration is palpable. Finally, Kid One asks the perfect question: “Is that a crocodile down there?” Ice broken, the kids introduce themselves and join the fun. When Joe asks Simone, formerly Kid One, “Do you still need to know what happened?” Simone’s “No!” is a deep breath of fresh air. In a welcome departure from picture books where conversations about disabilities are treated as teachable moments for nondisabled characters, this one gently but effectively illustrates that while curiosity is natural, questions don’t always need to be asked…or answered. Vitally, Catchpole, himself an amputee, reminds disabled readers—who are often sidelined in discussions of boundaries—that their bodies belong to them, including their medical histories. Backmatter advises caregivers on addressing disability. Joe presents white.

Delightful, necessary, and long overdue. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: April 11, 2023

ISBN: 9780316506472

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
YOU'RE SO AMAZING!
by James Catchpole & Lucy Catchpole ; illustrated by Karen George

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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

- BOOK REVIEW
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)