by Kia Heise & Christopher D. Park ; illustrated by Christopher D. Park ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 15, 2021
The footloose sock introduced in Little Sock (2019) finds his way back to Sock City.
As in Little Sock’s first book, the authors are evidently so dazzled by their premise that they forget to add a plot beyond what the title gives away. Making his way again through the tunnel at the back of the clothes dryer, Little Sock arrives in Sock City and gradually nerves himself to ask another solitary sock whether she’d like to be his friend. When she responds “Hmmm…Sure!” they go off to enjoy one side-by-side activity (playing with drones) and two shared ones, boating and frisbee. “Making new friends is fun.” Well, sure. Sock City is again depicted in busy crowd scenes as a pleasingly diverse place where none of the residents match another, but though Little Sock’s new buddy is at least individualized enough to be taller than he is, she never does acquire a name. Visually, all that really sets this apart from the previous outing is her drone—which is big and black and looks like it was stolen from the military. Sock-centric sagas that succeed include C.K. Smouha’s Sock Story (2019, illustrated by Eleanora Martin), and Jennifer Sattler’s One Red Sock (2019); try them on instead. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 83% of actual size.)
Too thin to stand alone. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: March 15, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5341-1126-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2021
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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BOOK REVIEW
by Kia Heise & Christopher D. Park ; illustrated by Christopher D. Park
by Fran Manushkin ; illustrated by Tammie Lyon ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2016
The creators of the Katie Woo series turn their focus to a peripheral character, first-grader Pedro—Katie’s friend and schoolmate.
Four short chapters—“Pedro Goes Buggy,” “Pedro’s Big Goal,” “Pedro’s Mystery Club,” and “Pedro For President”—highlight a Latino main character surrounded by a superbly diverse cast. At times unsure of himself, Pedro is extremely likable, for he wants to do his best and is a fair friend. He consistently comes out on top, even when his younger brother releases all the bugs he’s captured for a class assignment or when self-assured bully Roddy tries to unite opposition to Pedro’s female opponent (Katie Woo) in the race for first-grade class president. Using a third-person, past-tense narrative voice, Manushkin expands her repertoire by adding a hero comparable to EllRay Jakes. What is refreshing about the book is that for the most part, aside from Roddy’s gender-based bullying, the book overcomes boy-girl stereotypes: girls and boys play soccer, boys and girls run for president, girls and boys hunt for bugs, all setting a progressive standard for chapter books. With mixed-media illustrations featuring colorful bugs, soccer action, a mystery hunt, and a presidential campaign, Lyon’s attention to detail in color and facial expressions complements the story nicely.
This earnest Latino first-grader who overcomes obstacles and solves mysteries is a winning character . (Fiction. 5-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5158-0112-2
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Picture Window Books
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
Categories: CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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BOOK REVIEW
by Fran Manushkin ; illustrated by Kate Alizadeh
BOOK REVIEW
by Fran Manushkin ; illustrated by Purificacion Herandez
BOOK REVIEW
by Fran Manushkin ; illustrated by Lauren Tobia
by Sonia Sander & Kyla May ; illustrated by Kyla May ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2019
A cuddly, squishy pug’s puggy-wuggy diary.
Equipped with both #pugunicorn and #pughotdog outfits, pug Baron von Bubbles (aka Bub) is the kind of dog that always dresses to impress. Bub also makes lots of memorable faces, such as the “Hey, you’re not the boss of me!” expression aimed at Duchess, the snooty pink house cat. Some of Bub’s favorite things include skateboarding, a favorite teddy, and eating peanut butter. Bub also loves Bella, who adopted Bub from a fair—it was “love at first sniff.” Together, Bub and Bella do a lot of arts and crafts. Their latest project: entering Bella’s school’s inventor challenge by making a super-duper awesome rocket. But, when the pesky neighborhood squirrel, Nutz, makes off with Bub’s bear, Bub accidentally ruins their project. How will they win the contest? More importantly, how will Bella ever forgive him? May’s cutesy, full-color cartoon art sets the tone for this pug-tastic romp for the new-to–chapter-books crowd. Emojilike faces accentuate Bub’s already expressive character design. Bub’s infectious first-person narration pushes the silly factor off the charts. In addition to creating the look and feel of a diary, the lined paper helps readers follow the eight-chapter story. Most pages have fewer than five sentences, often broken into smaller sections. Additional text appears in color-coded speech bubbles. Bella presents white.
Totes adorbs. (Fiction. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-53003-2
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
Categories: CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES
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