A somewhat simplified but poignant depiction of childhood depression.
A young South Asian girl is devastated when her dad takes a job that keeps him away from his family for long periods.
Mandeep loves spending time with her father. Together, the two sip cha, dance bhangra, and write jokes in Mandeep’s journal. So when Dad is hired as a long-distance truck driver, Mandeep immediately slips into a stormy sadness. At school, she runs out of the classroom when her well-meaning teacher tells her to pay attention, and at home, her mother’s suggestion to clean her room fills her with uncontrollable rage. Although her friends and family try to cheer her up, nothing works until she opens her journal and lets it all out, writing about how much she misses her father and describing all the things he wasn’t here to experience. The practice of journaling eases her turmoil; Mandeep can function once more—and even feel happiness. The author deftly portrays the signs of childhood depression, making space for the protagonist’s negative feelings. While the characters aren't explicitly described as Sikh, the book incorporates elements of Sikh culture, such as Dad’s turban. Though the resolution feels somewhat oversimplified—such intense emotional distress would likely call for methods beyond journaling such as therapy—overall, it opens up an important conversation about grief, loss, and coping. Making use of arresting imagery and intense colors, the illustrations convey the depth of Mandeep’s anguish.
A somewhat simplified but poignant depiction of childhood depression. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781773219059
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Annick Press
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
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
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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
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