A sweet, charming story that could have practical applications.
Debut author Urban presents an illustrated children’s tale about a lost toy, the emotions that come with separation, and solving problems.
A young girl named Ella, like many other kids, has an especially beloved toy: a stuffed bunny named Lola. The animal, in the child’s imagination, hops around, plays with her, and can talk. While on an outing with Ella’s mom—apparently somewhere in England—Lola hops out of the stroller in which Ella is riding and decides to go on an adventure of her own. As a result, Ella and Lola become separated. The little girl looks for Lola for hours, and right before giving up, she enters a park with a pond in which Lola is swimming. She spies her friend, and they finally reunite. Ella gives Lola a bath to clean her up, and the two best friends discuss the adventures they each had over the course of the day and reaffirm how much they mean to each other. Over the course of Urban’s story, the author presents a relatable situation that many children will recognize from their own lives; young readers may very well use this book to help them feel better about losing their own toys. Kalla’s painterly, multimedia full-color illustrations are beautifully executed and fit perfectly with the tone and feeling of the story. The narrative itself is consistently engaging, clearly following the main character’s adventures without being overly long or complex. This book is clearly intended for very young children and is a fine pick for caregivers looking for a meaningful, visually compelling work that may help youngsters deal with a difficult situation.
A sweet, charming story that could have practical applications.Pub Date: June 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1915641113
Page Count: 30
Publisher: Little Steps/Trafalgar
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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
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