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ELENA CAMPS

Name: ELENA CAMPS
Author: Juana Medina
ISBN: 9781536216424

by Juana Medina ; illustrated by Juana Medina ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 17, 2025

A brilliantly crafted tale in which persistence pays off.

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The plucky pachyderm who mastered cycling in Elena Rides (2023) returns for a new adventure: camping!

Elena, a chunky blue elephant, lugs an enormous box discreetly labeled “Tent-o-Matic.” In her scoutlike neckerchief, Elena’s confident about her tent-pitching abilities. But as soon as she pulls out the tent…“GA-BUNK!” The yellow tent swallows her up! As Elena stews—and thinks—astute readers will have spotted a piece of paper she seems to have missed. Is that a list of instructions? Despite her mental work, the tent is winning: “GA-BOING!” Stomping and pouting, Elena rejects her friend the little red bird’s offer to help. But when she finally follows the directions, cheered on by her avian pal, the tent goes up: “TA-DA!” Sporting a pair of pajamas, with the bird (wearing a jaunty nightcap) perched on her arm, Elena is ready to camp. Both the artwork and the minimal, deliciously onomatopoeia-laden text beautifully convey action, humor, and emotion, from Elena’s initial optimism to her slowly mounting frustration, short-lived rage, and, finally, satisfaction at a job well done. Firm outlines focus on bright indigo Elena, set against white backgrounds, giving the cheery yellow tent in all its contorted configurations maximum impact. For all their simplicity, the illustrations will reward observant readers; Elena’s an endearing yet fully realized character whose emotions ring true.

A brilliantly crafted tale in which persistence pays off. (Early reader. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 17, 2025

ISBN: 9781536216424

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
LUISA, AT YOUR SERVICE!
by Sara Amini ; illustrated by Juana Medina

- BOOK REVIEW
IT'S HARD TO BE A BABY
by Cheryl B. Klein ; illustrated by Juana Medina

- BOOK REVIEW
A MALETA FULL OF TREASURES
by Natalia Sylvester ; illustrated by Juana Medina

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK LOST AND FOUND

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18, 2026

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.

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Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.

After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026

ISBN: 9780063436121

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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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)