Combining education and intergenerational fun, this work will appeal to readers of all ages.
by Judy Cook illustrated by Sonia Nadeau ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 2, 2021
A boy learns about the moon and space in this picture book.
Sunny, a blond White child, notices that the moon and sun simultaneously appear in the daytime sky. Grandma says this is called “The Children’s Moon” and “it belongs to…children in the world. People of all ages love to dance together under its magic light.” Sunny dances and Grandma spins in her electric wheelchair. They play a game called “TO THE MOON AND BACK,” and Sunny “blasts off.” The book then switches to nonfiction content, providing information about the moon, astronauts, and more. It features historical events, like the first moon landing, and intriguing facts, including how recycled water is used in space. The work also touches on the moon’s significance in many cultures before returning to Sunny and Grandma. While the boy decides that he wants to visit Mars, he promises to keep Grandma in his heart wherever he travels. The book then presents more educational snippets for young readers. Cook offers an enticing learning experience in an approachable format. The work delivers entertaining tidbits for kids, such as how the Toy Story series’ Buzz Lightyear was named after astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Nadeau’s detailed, hand-drawn illustrations add nice character. The artistic, realistic depictions show Sunny, Grandma, and various children enjoying the Children’s Moon. Illustrations also supplement the nonfiction parts, with drawings of the moon and portrayals of people mentioned, including Stephen Hawking.
Combining education and intergenerational fun, this work will appeal to readers of all ages.Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-52-557804-5
Page Count: 52
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: May 21, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More by Judy Cook
BOOK REVIEW
by Judy Cook
by Andrea Tsurumi ; illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 11, 2021
A frog tries to do everything a goat does, too.
Goat asks Frog to look at them before declaring “I’m ON it!” while balancing atop a tree stump near a pond. After an “Oooh!” and a “You know what?” Frog leaps off their lily pad to balance on a rock: “I’m on it, too!” Goat grabs a prop so that they can be both “on it AND beside it.” (It may take young readers a little bit to realize there are two its.) So does Frog. The competition continues as Frog struggles to mimic overconfident Goat’s antics. In addition to on and beside, the pair adds inside, between, under, and more. Eventually, it all gets to be too much for Frog to handle, so Frog falls into the water, resumes position on the lily pad, and declares “I am OVER it” while eating a fly. In an act of solidarity, Goat jumps in, too. In Tsurumi’s first foray into early readers she pares down her energetic, colorful cartoon style to the bare essentials without losing any of the madcap fun. Using fewer than 80 repeated words (over 12 of which are prepositions), the clever text instructs, delights, and revels in its own playfulness. Color-coded speech bubbles (orange for Goat, green for Frog) help match the dialogue with each speaker. Like others in the Elephant & Piggie Like Reading series, Elephant and Piggie metafictively bookend the main narrative with hilariously on-the-nose commentary.
Whether in hand or on shelf, this one’s sure to make a splash anywhere and everywhere. (Early reader. 4-8)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-368-06696-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: March 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More In The Series
by Jarrett Pumphrey & Jerome Pumphrey with Mo Willems ; illustrated by Jarrett Pumphrey & Jerome Pumphrey
by Ryan T. Higgins ; illustrated by Ryan T. Higgins
More by Jarrett Dapier
BOOK REVIEW
by Jarrett Dapier ; illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi
BOOK REVIEW
by David Goodner ; illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi
BOOK REVIEW
by David Goodner ; illustrated by Andrea Tsurumi
by Joan Holub & illustrated by Jan Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2012
A class visits the pumpkin patch, giving readers a chance to count down from 20.
At the farm, Farmer Mixenmatch gives them the tour, which includes a petting zoo, an educational area, a corn maze and a tractor ride to the pumpkin patch. Holub’s text cleverly though not always successfully rhymes each child’s name within the line: “ ‘Eighteen kids get on our bus,’ says Russ. / ‘But someone’s late,’ says Kate. / ‘Wait for me!’ calls Kiri.” Pumpkins at the tops of pages contain the numerals that match the text, allowing readers to pair them with the orange-colored, spelled-out numbers. Some of the objects proffered to count are a bit of a stretch—“Guess sixteen things we’ll see,” count 14 cars that arrived at the farm before the bus—but Smith’s artwork keeps things easy to count, except for a challenging page that asks readers to search for 17 orange items (answers are at the bottom, upside down). Strangely, Holub includes one page with nothing to count—a sign marks “15 Pumpkin Street.” Charming, multicultural round-faced characters and lots of detail encourage readers to go back through the book scouring pages for the 16 things the kids guessed they might see. Endpapers featuring a smattering of pumpkin facts round out the text.
Between its autumn and field-trip themes and the fact that not many books start countdowns from 20, this may find its way to many library shelves. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8075-6660-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2012
Categories: CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS
Share your opinion of this book
Did you like this book?
More by Joan Holub
BOOK REVIEW
by Joan Holub ; illustrated by Laurie Keller
BOOK REVIEW
by Joan Holub ; illustrated by Alison Farrell
BOOK REVIEW
by Joan Holub ; illustrated by Daniel Roode
© Copyright 2022 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.