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BE MY BRAVE SUNFLOWER

Name: BE MY BRAVE SUNFLOWER
Author: Kathryn Simmonds
ISBN: 9781536235432

by Kathryn Simmonds ; illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 22, 2025

Sweetly uplifting.

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Growing up can be tough.

A teacher prepares some pots for children to plant sunflowers. Most of the seeds can’t wait to get out of their packets, but speckled Vernon is worried. He knows that the world is full of scary things, like birds and thunderstorms. A little girl named Carla gives Vernon a snug home in some soil, telling him, “Be my brave sunflower.” As the days pass, the other seeds sprout their first leaves, but Vernon is hesitant. While he’s peeking out one night at the stars, an owl swoops him up and drops him into the school sandbox. Thankfully Carla finds him the next day and replants him while repeating her request. Unlike the others, Vernon still refuses to sprout, however; it’s much safer in his pot! But he notices water dropping into his pot from an odd source—Carla’s tears. Vernon pushes himself (literally) to be brave in the hopes of delighting Carla the next day. Ultimately, Vernon is aware that he isn’t the tallest or grandest plant, but he’s knowledgeable—and he has Carla. This gently encouraging tale can serve as a model for young readers, even featuring a mantra to help kids persevere despite anxiety. Though the main characters never directly communicate, they successfully drive the narrative without visual awkwardness, thanks in large part to the soft-edged, charismatic digital illustrations, which show Carla with pale skin and straight blond hair.

Sweetly uplifting. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: July 22, 2025

ISBN: 9781536235432

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
TWENTY BEARS
by Kathryn Simmonds ; illustrated by Alison Brown

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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)

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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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THE MOST MAGNIFICENT THING

by Ashley Spires ; illustrated by Ashley Spires ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2014

Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...

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Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.

First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.

Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)