Combine this with a nonfiction look at hibernation to round out a winter storytime.
The forest creatures from Too Many Carrots (2016) who were so put out by Rabbit’s foodstuff this time are vexing to Tortoise, who is trying to hibernate.
The opening spread is somnolent and peaceful, picturing Tortoise bedded down on a platform in a tree under a tentlike piece of fabric. A sign reads “DO NOT DISTURB (until Spring).” But close observers will see another sign on the tree and a robin winging toward it. A change in perspective reveals Robin’s plan for a Christmas singing class. Grumpy Tortoise refuses Robin’s offer to join, stating “Tortoises don’t like winter” in what will become a repeated refrain. Packing up, he moves on, but his slumber is interrupted by Rabbit’s carving ice sculptures, and then by Squirrel and Rabbit’s snowball fight, and finally by Beaver’s tree-felling. By this time readers will be ready for the punch line, and Hudson delivers it in spades: Tortoise’s final resting spot is a flat piece of wood at the top of a hill: a sled! And even a winter-hating hibernator cannot help but delight in the downhill ride, which is followed by some sliding on the icy pond with friends. The ending finds all but Tortoise asleep together indoors. Hudson’s detailed and colorful artwork is sure to attract attention, and the animals are cuddly cute with expressive faces, especially Tortoise’s.
Combine this with a nonfiction look at hibernation to round out a winter storytime. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62370-869-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Capstone Young Readers
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
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