The best thing about this book? Its reassuring look back at all the things the happy and successful students have enjoyed...
On graduation day, a patient teacher leads her class through a guessing game about what has been the best thing about kindergarten.
Mrs. Appleby is proud of her class. They’ve made hats and decorations and learned a special song to sing for their parents. But kindergarten is not over quite yet—there is time for one last, and most important, lesson. “Who can guess what is the best thing about kindergarten?” The students come up with lots of good answers—calendar time, the playhouse center, the block corner, arts and crafts time, math time, the writing center, storytime, recess—but none is correct, although Mrs. Appleby kindly reinforces the accomplishments and enjoyment her students have gained from each of these activities. The guessing game is interrupted by the graduation ceremony, which goes without a hitch, the proud students each doing their parts and receiving their diplomas. And at the end, she finally shares the answer: “You, my students, are the best thing about kindergarten.” The hurried, scribbly feel of Leng’s illustrations lend them the busy, hectic reality of a kindergarten classroom, especially on the exciting last day of school. She neatly captures the messiness and creativity that characterize young children, and her kindergarteners are a nice mix of races and genders.
The best thing about this book? Its reassuring look back at all the things the happy and successful students have enjoyed about kindergarten—equally valuable at the beginning and the end of the school year. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 18, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-897476-82-6
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Simply Read
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This endearing bunny deserves a better tale.
Ricky is a cheerful young rabbit preparing for the Christmas holiday celebration in this sixth entry in a series originating in Holland and Belgium.
At first the bunny boy’s parents are too busy to get ready for Christmas, but Ricky convinces his father that they need to find a tree and prepare for the holiday. Charming illustrations on oversized pages show Ricky and his patient father working together to haul home their Christmas tree by sled, struggling through a snowstorm and tumbling together, head over heels, down a steep hill. Father and son recover to enjoy some time playing together in the snow, juggling snowballs and making rabbit-shaped snow angels together. A final spread illustrates Ricky and his parents relaxing together next to their tree decorated with real candles and a glowing star. Observant readers will notice the snow-white cat following Ricky throughout the day and peeking in the window in the final cozy Christmas Eve scene. Van Genechten’s paintings have a lovely, naïve quality, with bold shapes and thick, black outlines of the rabbits that make them stand out against the snow scenes. However, the plodding story and trite dialogue do not match the high quality of the illustrations.
This endearing bunny deserves a better tale. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-60537-106-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clavis
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2011
Missable.
Fifteen years after its original publication, this sentimental story that explains the symbolism behind Easter eggs and their role in remembering the Resurrection receives new illustrations.
The story of Thomas, who is whisked away in the middle of the night and deposited with the kindly owners of a candy store when his sister falls ill with scarlet fever, is done no favors by the new illustrations. Cowdrey’s pastel-colored illustrations harken back to an undefined, idealized past of wood (or coal) cookstoves and genuine penny candy. They are certainly cheery in palette, but the characters tend to stare out at readers with fixed, earnest expressions, and the little white dog that appears on most pages often looks downright creepy. The story is a long and disjointed one, devoting a whole spread to a hailstorm that does nothing to move the plot along and neglecting to explain to readers the reasons for Thomas’ exile (the notion of quarantine is never discussed). Children will naturally wonder why Thomas’ parents never come to visit him at the candy shop, and Cowdrey does nothing in the illustrations to fill this or other narrative gaps. They will also likely grow impatient before the connection between Easter eggs and the Easter story is explained. The layout, which crams the text into thin columns on the far edges of most double-page spreads, does little to help the pacing.
Missable. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-310-73545-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2014
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