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MY KENTUCKY MOONLIGHT SCHOOL

Name: MY KENTUCKY MOONLIGHT SCHOOL
Author: Kim Michele Richardson
ISBN: 9781324054085

by Kim Michele Richardson ; illustrated by Chloe M. Giroux ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 11, 2026

Brings light to a little-known piece of history.

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A young girl guides her grandparents toward literacy in this fictionalized account of Cora Wilson Stewart’s early 20th-century Moonlight Schools in Appalachian Kentucky.

Narrated by Jewel, a third grader who has spent weeks tutoring her Mamaw and Papaw in anticipation of graduation night, the story follows the family’s moonlit walk to the one-room schoolhouse and the spelling bee and diploma ceremony that await. Neighbors and kinfolk join the procession: elderly Mr. Webb with his hickory stick and violin, parents carrying babes, farmers and coal miners clutching their primers. Richardson brings a solid sensibility to the Appalachian dialect (“I’ve got the all-overs,” “littler extras”) that lends regional texture. The emotional beats are earnest: Mamaw wins the spelling match, the students receive their diplomas, and Jewel is invited to become a teaching assistant for the summer. Giroux works in a muted palette of deep purples, dusty mauves, and warm ochres, weaving a few reds throughout—including Jewel’s coat—that pulse warmly against the cool night palette. The night scenes—crowds of Moonlighters moving beneath a swirling, luminous moon across rolling hills—have an atmospheric sweep, while interior schoolhouse scenes shift to warmer creams and tawny browns. An author’s note adds context about Stewart, founder of the adult literacy movement. All characters present white.

Brings light to a little-known piece of history. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2026

ISBN: 9781324054085

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Norton Young Readers

Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
JUNIA, THE BOOK MULE OF TROUBLESOME CREEK
by Kim Michele Richardson ; illustrated by David C. Gardner

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)