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TAYRA'S NOT TALKING

Name: TAYRA'S NOT TALKING
Author: Lana Button
ISBN: 978-1-5253-0484-2

by Lana Button ; illustrated by Christine Battuz ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 7, 2022

Sweet without being sententious.

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Sometimes actions speak louder than words.

It's tough to be the new kid. It's especially tough for Tayra, because Tayra doesn't talk. She won't make a single sound: not when her classmates try talking to her louder or even when the teacher asks her questions. The other kids find this silence strange; classmate Kitty wonders if Tayra's "stubborn" or "rude" or "just...in some / I'm-not-talking mood," and an accident leads some kids to wonder if, just maybe, she's "bad." But a little patience and understanding go a long way, and together the class learns that talking isn't the only way to make friends. This story, told in playful rhyme, is a deceptively simple exploration of making friends, something many children struggle with, whether they can speak or not. The story never explains why Tayra doesn't speak, but that why is less integral to the plot's development than the process of resolving misunderstandings, learning to communicate effectively with others, and creating an inclusive environment in which differences are respected and accommodated. The use of alternative modes of communication (e.g., gestures, drawings, music) plays out in a child-friendly manner that never feels patronizing. Expressive anthropomorphic animals, hand-drawn and digitally rendered, create a dynamic and warm visual landscape; readers will root for the class as much as for Tayra as they collectively navigate their new friendship. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Sweet without being sententious. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: June 7, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-5253-0484-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Kids Can

Review Posted Online: April 12, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
BRIANNA BANANA, HELPER OF THE DAY
by Lana Button ; illustrated by Suharu Ogawa

- BOOK REVIEW
MY GRAMMIE'S HOUSE
by Lana Button ; illustrated by Skye Ali

- BOOK REVIEW
THE ONLY LONELY FAIRY
by Lana Button ; illustrated by Peggy Collins

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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)