A lovely experience of wonder and empathy.
Faith rides the New York City subway with Mama, finding ways to connect with others along the way.
On the train ride home from Grandma’s house, Faith pulls out a peanut butter sandwich (“gooey with honey from Grandma’s beehive”) and enjoys a sweet bite. Then a man named Isaiah who’s fallen on hard times asks if anyone can spare some change. Faith recognizes him. Everyone looks away from him, silent. Faith catches his eye, peanut butter still sticking to the child’s teeth. Heart thumping, Faith offers him the last of the sandwich. He enjoys it tremendously. As they leave the train, Faith wonders what kind of peanut butter Isaiah likes. The youngster imagines having piles of sandwiches with Isaiah and his son; Faith comes up with an idea for the next ride. This delectable story does a lovely job of presenting a child’s view of the sights and sounds of the subway. The moments surrounding Isaiah’s plea for help—busy riders looking away or distracted—ring true and encourage reflection. Mokshini’s energetic artwork makes impressive use of color and shadow, perspective, varied composition, and lines to immerse readers in the world of the train’s interior and the stations; readers will feel delivered from underground when Faith and Mama finally emerge on the street. Faith, Mama, and Isaiah present Black; other characters are diverse.
A lovely experience of wonder and empathy. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 11, 2025
ISBN: 9780063251342
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts.
In this latest slice in the Food Group series, Humble Pie learns to stand up to a busy friend who’s taking advantage of his pal’s hard work on the sidelines.
Jake the Cake and Humble Pie are good friends. Where Pie is content to toil in the background, Jake happily shines in the spotlight. Alert readers will notice that Pie’s always right there, too, getting A-pluses and skiing expertly just behind—while also doing the support work that keeps every school and social project humming. “Fact: Nobody notices pie when there’s cake nearby!” When the two friends pair up for a science project, things begin well. But when the overcommitted Jake makes excuse after excuse, showing up late or not at all, a panicked Pie realizes that they won’t finish in time. When Jake finally shows up on the night before the project’s due, Pie courageously confronts him. “And for once, I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it.” The friends talk it out and collaborate through the night for the project’s successful presentation in class the next day. John and Oswald’s winning recipe—plentiful puns and delightful visual jokes—has yielded another treat here. The narration does skew didactic as it wraps up: “There’s nothing wrong with having a tough conversation, asking for help, or making sure you’re being treated fairly.” But it’s all good fun, in service of some gentle lessons about social-emotional development.
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063469730
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
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
BOOK REVIEW
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