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OH LOOK, A CAKE!

Name: OH LOOK, A CAKE!
Author: J.C. McKee
ISBN: 978-0-358-38030-6

by J.C. McKee ; illustrated by J.C. McKee ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2021

Dark and delicious.

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A fractured fable about sharing.

A sloth and a lemur find a gorgeous cake: three-tiered, pink-frosted, topped by a single orange-and-black–striped candle. The two decide to throw a party, but whom to invite? Sloth tries making suggestions, but Lemur shoots them all down: They’re afraid that Tiger will eat the cake and then them; it’s too much work to serve tiny pieces to an entire anthill; Chameleon is nowhere to be found; and “Sugar does things” to Tortoise, shown singing into a microphone clad in a top hat and with an inflatable pool toy around his waist. The two animals decide that their only choice is to eat the entire cake themselves. When the rightful baker and birthday-cat, Tiger, sees what they’ve done, she ominously tells them that she “can still get it back.” There’s shades of Jon Klassen’s Hat trilogy here as well as Lucy Ruth Cummins’ A Hungry Lion (2016), and this is a worthy addition to the trend of picture books showing the more ominous consequences of one’s actions in an anthropomorphized animal kingdom. The effective use of background color, subtle expressions, gravity, and pacing make this a winning choice for storytime, so long as the audience can handle the implications of the ending. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 19.6% of actual size.)

Dark and delicious. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: May 11, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-358-38030-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Clarion Books

Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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ADDIE ANT GOES ON AN ADVENTURE

by Maren Morris & Karina Argow ; illustrated by Kelly Anne Dalton ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 9, 2024

Young readers will be “antsy” to join the hero on her satisfying escapade.

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An ant explores her world.

Addie Ant’s ready for adventure. Despite some trepidation about leaving the Tomato Bed, where she lives with her aunt, she plucks up her courage and ventures forth across the garden to the far side of the shed. On her journey, she meets her pal Lewis Ladybug, who greets her warmly, points the way, and offers sage advice. When Addie arrives at her destination, she’s welcomed by lovely Beatrix Butterfly and enjoys an “ant-tastic” helping of watermelon. Beatrix also provides Addie with take-home treats and a map for the “Cricket Express,” which will take her straight home. Arriving at the terminal, Addie’s delighted to meet another friend, Cleo Cricket, whose carriage service returns Addie home in “two hops.” After eating a warm tomato soup dinner, Addie falls asleep and dreams of future exploits. Adorable though not terribly original, this story brims with sensuous pleasures, both textual and visual. Kids who declare that they dislike fruits or veggies may find their mouths watering at the mentions and sights of luscious tomatoes, peas, beans, watermelons, berries, and other foodstuffs; insect-averse readers may likewise think differently after encountering these convivial, wide-eyed characters. And those flowers and herbs everywhere! The highlights are the colors that burst from the pages. Addie’s an endearing, empowering character who reassures children they’ll be able to take those first independent steps successfully.

Young readers will be “antsy” to join the hero on her satisfying escapade. (author’s note about ants) (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: April 9, 2024

ISBN: 9781797228914

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

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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)