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WITH YOUR PAW IN MINE

Name: WITH YOUR PAW IN MINE
Author: Jane Chapman
ISBN: 978-1-68010-084-6

by Jane Chapman ; illustrated by Jane Chapman ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2018

Immersive, fluffy, and tailor-made for one-on-one storytime with caregivers and friends.

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Paw in paw, two otter pups keep each other safe from a dangerous ocean storm.

When Mama goes hunting, she leaves her pup, Miki, alone to float safely on her back in a bed of seaweed. Waiting, Miki spots another “furry bundle” and paddles over to meet Amak, a pup who is also waiting for his mother. Recognizing that “waiting is lonely,” Miki offers to hold Amak’s paws until their grown-ups return. From that day forward, the two are inseparable—and the two mothers and two pups even snuggle up together at night. When a storm comes, the pups are again separated from their mothers, but, paw in paw, they keep each other safe. Whether taken literally or metaphorically, the book’s message resonates: “We all need someone’s paw to hold when the big waves come.” Though the story of friendship and community is timeless and endearing, Chapman’s signature acrylic artwork truly stands out as something special. The artist’s cool palette and spare, maritime scenery focus the art tightly on the characters and their small piece of the ocean. The lack of white space echoes the expansiveness of the sea.

Immersive, fluffy, and tailor-made for one-on-one storytime with caregivers and friends. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 1, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-68010-084-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tiger Tales

Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2017

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THIS WAS NOT THE PLAN
by Jane Chapman ; illustrated by Jane Chapman

- BOOK REVIEW
BEAR FEELS SAD
by Karma Wilson ; illustrated by Jane Chapman

- BOOK REVIEW
'TWAS THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
by Clement C. Moore ; illustrated by Jane Chapman

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

- 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)