A solid introduction to autism for children.
Jackson and his friends, who are all neurodivergent, go on a field trip to a children’s museum in Jeffery and Laura May’s picture book.
Jackson, a young white boy, introduces himself as a child who likes soccer and having fun with his friends. He and his racially diverse pals are autistic. Lily “loves feeling squishy paint on her fingers” and wears headphones because loud noises can bother her. Martin communicates with a tablet that has symbols and pictures; he loves to dance and has the best laugh. Sofia likes science and doesn’t like interruptions. At the museum, Jackson gets so excited, he flaps his hands, which is called stimming. The other kids stim too: Lily hops or spins, Martin squeals and grunts, and Sofia taps her fingers. At the end, Jackson advises readers to “be kind to others,” offering the encouragement, “you can do this!” Jackson narrates the book, which makes the explanations of autism feel more friendly and authentic. The kids are generally depicted as being smiley and upbeat, indicating that children with autism can lead happy lives. Halionka’s colorful illustrations, which appear to be digital paintings, often show all four friends together, emphasizing their bonds; the wide, horizontal compositions also allow for interesting details at the museum, such as hanging terrariums, a dinosaur skeleton, and an ant colony display.
A solid introduction to autism for children.Pub Date: June 23, 2025
ISBN: 9798998821110
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Aug. 22, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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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
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