An enticing snapshot of seasonal changes and annual traditions.
A child savors the hallmarks of each season.
Lyons and Johnson’s bright and breezy picture book invites readers to explore the seasons through the eyes of a Black child with reddish-brown hair. In spring, Lyric lies beside Mom admiring cotton candy–like clouds. The youngster splashes in puddles when it rains, declaring “Spring is always such a stunner, / but don’t you know it, so is… // SUMMER!” Relishing the sunshine, Lyric delights in the year’s hottest months, frequenting the beach, attending family cookouts, and “play[ing] UNO, bones, and spades.” Fall brings a pumpkin patch visit and a spectacular feast of pies and cakes, while in winter, Lyric takes part in a sledding outing that visually recalls Ezra Jack Keats’ The Snowy Day, as well as a multigenerational Kwanzaa celebration. Johnson’s images include captivating swirls of colors and movement, and action occurs in every layer of each frame. In spring, for instance, a fish-eye focus centers kids playing double Dutch while cyclists ride in the distance and a dog walker navigates a path in the foreground. Adults may find that the text’s strict adherence to an AABB rhyme scheme and repetitive seven-syllable lines makes for a monotonous read-aloud, but it’s an effective introduction to the seasons for children. All illustrated figures appear Black, with a notable diversity of skin shades and hairstyles.
An enticing snapshot of seasonal changes and annual traditions. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780593323922
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
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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