A clever take on teaching young readers about the justice system.
A bug and a slug appeal to the court to defend their right to marry in this Ruth Bader Ginsburg–inspired picture book.
Celebrations of the work of Ruth Bader Ginsburg seldom involve insects, but the late Supreme Court Justice’s presence as Ruth Bader Ladybug shows just how far her influence reached. Klazkin’s debut picture book opens with a loving couple: Barney the bug, a grasshopper with a ponytail, mustache, and a ball cap, and Sweet Sally the slug, whose blond hair, pearl necklace, and long dress give her a roughly sluglike shape. The pair kiss and cuddle in public, earning them a look of dismay from a bug. “Bugs and slugs do not mix,” a police officer bug reminds them. But they can’t deny their love, so they challenge the law in a court presided over by Ruth Bader Ladybug. After a fierce debate, the law is struck down, and love wins the day. Klazkin’s rhyming couplets generally scan well, although the layout of the text on some pages makes the ends of phrases difficult to find. A glossary offers definitions for more challenging vocabulary words. Laubach’s odd cartoon illustrations are uneven in their mix of human and bug/slug features, although the illustrations of Ruth Bader Ladybug, depicted in a lace collar, are a charming way to honor the justice. Though there are few details about how the court works, the concept of a court ruling on a law is solidly introduced.
A clever take on teaching young readers about the justice system.Pub Date: July 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5255-7194-7
Page Count: 52
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nothing new here but a nonetheless congenial matriculant in publishing’s autumnal rite of back-to-school offerings.
The Crayons head back to class in this latest series entry.
Daywalt’s expository text lays out the basics as various Crayons wave goodbye to the beach, choose a first-day outfit, greet old friends, and make new ones. As in previous outings, the perennially droll illustrations and hand-lettered Crayon-speak drive the humor. The ever wrapperless Peach, opining, “What am I going to wear?” surveys three options: top hat and tails, a chef’s toque and apron, and a Santa suit. New friends Chunky Toddler Crayon (who’s missing a bite-sized bit of their blue point) and Husky Toddler Crayon speculate excitedly on their common last name: “I wonder if we’re related!” White Crayon, all but disappearing against the page’s copious white space, sits cross-legged reading a copy of H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man. And Yellow and Orange, notable for their previous existential argument about the color of the sun, find agreement in science class: Jupiter, clearly, is yellow AND orange. Everybody’s excited about art class—“Even if they make a mess. Actually…ESPECIALLY if they make a mess!” Here, a spread of crayoned doodles of butterflies, hearts, and stars is followed by one with fulsome scribbles. Fans of previous outings will spot cameos from Glow in the Dark and yellow-caped Esteban (the Crayon formerly known as Pea Green). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nothing new here but a nonetheless congenial matriculant in publishing’s autumnal rite of back-to-school offerings. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: May 16, 2023
ISBN: 9780593621110
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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