A practical approach to anchoring oneself in the face of uncertainty.
Children’s musician and mindfulness expert Willey helps children learn to assuage first-day-of-school jitters.
On the way to school, Bear encounters her pal Bird and confides that she’s got “butterflies in her tummy.” Bird admits that he’s worried, too—what if the other classmates don’t like his feathers? Owl overhears and suggests a mantra to calm their anxiety. She breathes deeply and says, “Breathe in, breathe out. / Everybody has a heartbeat. / Breathe in, breathe out. / It’s a rhythm we all share.” Realizing that Bear’s fur and Bird’s feathers “may look very different…but they do the same job,” the pals feel much better and continue on their way. They come upon Fawn, who’s worried that his preference for eating grass is strange, so Bear and Bird teach him the mantra and breathing technique. Arriving at school, they see Owl, who, unsurprisingly, is their new teacher, leading the class in the mindfulness activity. Discussion questions for readers, related to Bear’s, Bird’s, and Fawn’s concerns, are interspersed, with the final one intended to instill confidence about children’s own uniqueness: “What makes you special?” Though the text is somewhat wordy and the Disney-esque cartoon illustrations are a bit saccharine, overall the story gets its message across effectively. The book ends with a link to Willey’s song “Everybody’s Got a Heartbeat.” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A practical approach to anchoring oneself in the face of uncertainty. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 27, 2023
ISBN: 9780593486726
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Rodale Kids
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2023
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
Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his...
It’s a wonderful day in the jungle, so why’s Jim Panzee so grumpy?
When Jim woke up, nothing was right: "The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, and bananas were too sweet." Norman the gorilla asks Jim why he’s so grumpy, and Jim insists he’s not. They meet Marabou, to whom Norman confides that Jim’s grumpy. When Jim denies it again, Marabou points out that Jim’s shoulders are hunched; Jim stands up. When they meet Lemur, Lemur points out Jim’s bunchy eyebrows; Jim unbunches them. When he trips over Snake, Snake points out Jim’s frown…so Jim puts on a grimacelike smile. Everyone has suggestions to brighten his mood: dancing, singing, swinging, swimming…but Jim doesn’t feel like any of that. He gets so fed up, he yells at his animal friends and stomps off…then he feels sad about yelling. He and Norman (who regrets dancing with that porcupine) finally just have a sit and decide it’s a wonderful day to be grumpy—which, of course, makes them both feel a little better. Suzanne Lang’s encouragement to sit with your emotions (thus allowing them to pass) is nearly Buddhist in its take, and it will be great bibliotherapy for the crabby, cranky, and cross. Oscar-nominated animator Max Lang’s cartoony illustrations lighten the mood without making light of Jim’s mood; Jim has comically long arms, and his facial expressions are quite funny.
Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his journey. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-553-53786-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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