by Jillian Roberts ; illustrated by Cindy Revell ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 21, 2017
A useful resource for a common issue.
A simple Q-and-A introduction to a difficult topic.
The psychologist author starts by discussing relationships—animal and human, married and common-law—and the illustrator enhances the text with pictures of diverse couples from different cultures and sexual orientations. The questions in the illustrated text include: “What is separation?”; “What is divorce?”; “Is it ever the kid’s fault?”; What should I expect if my parents are separating or getting a divorce?”; and “What can I do to feel better?” The digital illustrations show a range of situations and emotions, but some may soft-pedal individual kids’ experiences. In demonstrating that both parents remain supportive, for instance, pictures depict two Asian parents side by side cheering a young baseball player on. This may well not happen in real life. On the last page, the author presents a few more-complex issues, including questions about custody, parents’ getting back together, and blended families. While the whole book is meant to facilitate discussion between children and adults, these last few questions and answers, while still directed at child readers, may provide more information to adults. The answers throughout the book are realistic and appropriate. This could provide comfort to children going through serious periods in their young lives, but only if they are reinforced by thoughtful parents and other loving adults.
A useful resource for a common issue. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 21, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4598-0951-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Jan. 31, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
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by Hoda Kotb ; illustrated by Chloe Dominique ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024
Pleasant enough but not particularly original.
Uplifting messages of positivity from the Today show anchor.
Hope springs eternal, so the saying goes. Kotb agrees, here delivering to children the cheery news that hope lives inside all of them and that whatever they might wish for can be theirs. All they need is a sunny outlook, and the possibilities for happy outcomes are virtually endless. Children’s dreams can be in-the-moment ones—like purple ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry—or more far-ranging ones, such as growing tall enough to reach that high shelf easily or for hair that’s long enough to braid. It doesn’t matter, the author reassures young readers. Your aspirations will be realized, so don’t give up on them—just keep believing in them and, most of all, in yourself. Throughout, Kotb calls hope a rainbow, a feeling, a gift, and a wish. Hope is “new friends you’ll find— / friends who are loving and funny and kind.” Hope is “practicing your heart out, letter by letter.” The book’s overarching theme is upbeat, but its bouncy rhyming text is clumsy. The child-appealing illustrations are colorful and lively, though they have a generic look. The cast of wide-eyed characters is racially diverse; some have visible disabilities.
Pleasant enough but not particularly original. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780593624128
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
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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...
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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