An encouraging story of new beginnings.
A recently arrived child from Colombia misses her father and her friends back home, so she looks forward to her first day of school and making new friends.
As Isabella looks out the window, the world outside feels strange, and “the United States is cold and gray.” Her mother assures her she will make new friends in school. Eagerly anticipating the first day of school, Isabella readies her new jeans and “fluffy orange sweater” as well as her school supplies. But when her “make-new-friends day” finally arrives, it is snowing and school is cancelled. With her dreams of new friends dashed, Isabella stares out the window where the snow looks like “a thousand white butterflies.” When she sees a girl fall in the snow, Isabella runs out to help only to discover the girl grinning—she has just made a snow angel. After spending a day playing outside, making more angels and building a snowman, Isabella is delighted. She has made a friend. Maldonado’s charming illustrations are simple and colorful, depicting a brown-skinned girl with two cute little braids sticking out on either side of her head. Katie, Isabella’s new friend, wears glasses and has pale skin and straight red hair. The story is a little bland and predictable, which lends it a sweet and reassuring feel. Many a newly arrived child will recognize Isabella’s homesickness and need for reassurance that life will work out in this new country. Isabella narrates in English, the dialogue within her family entirely in Spanish; the fact that she and Katie speak only in their own languages interferes not a whit in their play
An encouraging story of new beginnings. (authors' notes, more info, glossary) (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Jan. 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-58089-577-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
An unconventional but useful primer to help youngsters make sense of overwhelming feelings.
Emotions and flatulence are a lot more similar than you might think.
“Farts and feelings. Everyone has them!” But don’t worry—“just like your farts, your feelings will pass!” The silliness of the book’s subject matter makes it a clear attention-grabber, playing into children’s general interest in all things scatological. Though funny, many of the comparisons are also rather insightful: “You might wish they were private, but they don’t always come out that way.” “If you pay attention to your body, it might tell you what is coming.” The authors also offer useful advice: Talk to someone you trust if your farts or feelings hurt, refrain from holding them in for too long, and find a safe place to let them out. The softly rendered illustrations are tactfully done—no potty humor here. The images are mostly in shades of gray; Nakamura uses color sparingly and to great effect, playing up the pink on characters’ cheeks or for bright, squiggly lines signaling an outburst. Children of varying skin tones and ethnicities are represented. Some scenarios may require an adult to help explain the connection between emotions and farts.
An unconventional but useful primer to help youngsters make sense of overwhelming feelings. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: April 8, 2025
ISBN: 9781250903075
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This earnest Latino first-grader who overcomes obstacles and solves mysteries is a winning character
The creators of the Katie Woo series turn their focus to a peripheral character, first-grader Pedro—Katie’s friend and schoolmate.
Four short chapters—“Pedro Goes Buggy,” “Pedro’s Big Goal,” “Pedro’s Mystery Club,” and “Pedro For President”—highlight a Latino main character surrounded by a superbly diverse cast. At times unsure of himself, Pedro is extremely likable, for he wants to do his best and is a fair friend. He consistently comes out on top, even when his younger brother releases all the bugs he’s captured for a class assignment or when self-assured bully Roddy tries to unite opposition to Pedro’s female opponent (Katie Woo) in the race for first-grade class president. Using a third-person, past-tense narrative voice, Manushkin expands her repertoire by adding a hero comparable to EllRay Jakes. What is refreshing about the book is that for the most part, aside from Roddy’s gender-based bullying, the book overcomes boy-girl stereotypes: girls and boys play soccer, boys and girls run for president, girls and boys hunt for bugs, all setting a progressive standard for chapter books. With mixed-media illustrations featuring colorful bugs, soccer action, a mystery hunt, and a presidential campaign, Lyon’s attention to detail in color and facial expressions complements the story nicely.
This earnest Latino first-grader who overcomes obstacles and solves mysteries is a winning character . (Fiction. 5-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5158-0112-2
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Picture Window Books
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
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