by Julianne Moore ; illustrated by LeUyen Pham ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 14, 2015
Though the series continues, readers are not likely to want to meet Freckleface Strawberry and Windy Pants Patrick again.
Two students learn to own up to their mistakes—and not to put gum or doughnuts in their backpacks—in actor Moore’s new early-reader series.
Freckleface Strawberry loves bugs, and her backpack has bugs on it. Inside, she has pencils, homework, and gum. Similarly, Windy Pants Patrick (readers don’t find out the reason for the name) loves dogs, and his backpack contains pencils, homework, and a doughnut. Their parents (mom and dad for Freckleface, two moms for Patrick) don’t know the kids have added snacks to their bags. The next day at school, when it’s time to hand in their homework, the two learn why it’s such a bad idea. The teacher praises their maps, thinking they’ve added mountains, but after school, they own up to the truth. While Moore uses short sentences, repetition, and relatively easy vocabulary (aside from her characters’ names), those are not the only ingredients for a successful early reader. Readers also want a compelling story and interesting, three-dimensional characters, both of which are seriously lacking here. Pham’s illustrations are serviceable and feature people with brightly colored hair and skin that lacks color—they are all literally white, save a single brown girl with black hair.
Though the series continues, readers are not likely to want to meet Freckleface Strawberry and Windy Pants Patrick again. (Early reader. 4-7)Pub Date: July 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-385-39195-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
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by Julianne Moore ; illustrated by LeUyen Pham
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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 Hoda Kotb ; illustrated by Suzie Mason
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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