An endearing story of friendship and unconditional support.
A small ocean wave learns how to tickle the toes of beachgoing children inHalket’s picture book.
After graduating from Wave School, Happy can now go ashore with the encouragement of his proud parents. However, the little wave can’t seem to make it all the way to the beach. Time after time, he falls short of his goal, and his Wave School friend, Sandy, can see Happy is upset. Happy tries again, with Sandy’s help, but he becomes afraid when he hears “the laughter of little people and could see them running and splashing in the water.” Sandy eventually convinces him that the children like the waves, so Happy eventually succeeds and is glad he didn’t give up. This colorfully illustrated tale will delight young readers as it provides its lesson in perseverance. Halket’s straightforward storyline highlights the powerful support of Happy’s parents and good friend. The book’s lessons are familiar and straightforward but remain engaging. Yap’s illustrations include soft, beachy colors and many diverse children of varying skin tones. The anthropomorphic waves, who have eyes, eyebrows, and mouths, authentically evoke the joy of splashing in the surf. Halket leaves open the possibility of sequels, noting at the end that Happy “thought about his day and couldn’t wait for his next adventure.”
An endearing story of friendship and unconditional support.Pub Date: April 6, 2022
ISBN: 979-8985797015
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
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)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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