There is meanness and bullying at every level in schools, and it needs to be addressed in stories as well as in real life,...
Shy Willow stands up to a mean girl in her primary-grade classroom.
Kristabelle is the boss of the class that Willow is in, and when she invites everyone to her birthday party, Willow is thrilled. But if a classmate won’t sit at her lunch table or play what she wants at recess, she will cross them off her birthday list. Mateo won’t give up his turn as Line Leader, so Kristabelle crosses him off; Julian won’t wear pink when Kristabelle demands it, so the blonde, curly-headed girl crosses him off, too. Willow then bravely crosses her own name off, and so do all her friends, leaving Kristabelle alone. But Willow sits with the formerly mean girl when no one else will. Kristabelle apologizes to the whole class, and everyone comes to her party and has a fine time. The illustrations, brightly colored on white backgrounds, with figures sketched in the simplest of lines and dots, depict an ethnically mixed classroom of children. Putting aside the sexism inherent in only boys being blacklisted (or at least, the only ones willing to stand up to Kristabelle), it’s all too easily resolved, even for the second-graders this seems to be aimed at.
There is meanness and bullying at every level in schools, and it needs to be addressed in stories as well as in real life, but they must be honest stories in which the lesson does not outweigh the tale. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-55453-842-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Jan. 15, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2013
A gently comedic picture book for preschoolers and kindergartners with wiggly teeth.
Duck frantically searches for a friend’s lost tooth in this latest picture book from Mackenzie.
Piney Glen resident Duck finds his usually cozy existence interrupted when he receives a letter in his mailbox that reads: “Dear Duck, please come! I lost my tooth. Your friend, Rabbit.” Duck responds enthusiastically to this call to action, searching everywhere for the missing tooth. He encounters Badger in the meadow and enlists the animal’s help as they move toward the pond. Soon they happen upon Turtle, a comically slow speaker who recommends searching the woods. There, they discover Squirrel, who leads the ever-growing group toward the clearing. Mouse rereads the note there and urges the animal posse to visit Rabbit and ask him directly about his tooth. But the group’s plans are frustrated when they find that Rabbit had intended an entirely different scenario all along. This is a sweet, funny story about the consequences of a simple misunderstanding; it’s great for fans of A.A. Milne’s Winnie the Pooh (1926), among other similar children’s stories. Mackenzie expertly balances advancing the narrative by repeating search scenes that reinforce the meanings of over, under, and aroundto help young readers build their prepositional vocabularies. Santoso’s soft-textured illustrations enhance the story and add humor, especially in the panels where Turtle joins the party but isn’t fast enough to keep up.
A gently comedic picture book for preschoolers and kindergartners with wiggly teeth.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393118
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
This multigenerational snuggle will encourage the sharing of old memories and the creation of new ones.
Hill and Bobbiesi send a humungous hug from grandmothers to their granddaughters everywhere.
Delicate cartoon art adds details to the rhyming text showing multigenerational commonalities. “You and I are alike in such wonderful ways. / You will see more and more as you grow” (as grandmother and granddaughter enjoy the backyard together); “I wobbled uncertainly just as you did / whenever I tried something new” (as a toddler takes first steps); “And if a bad dream woke me up in the night, / I snuggled up with my lovey too” (grandmother kisses granddaughter, who clutches a plush narwhal). Grandmother-granddaughter pairs share everyday joys like eating ice cream, dancing “in the rain,” and making “up silly games.” Although some activities skew stereotypically feminine (baking, yoga), a grandmother helps with a quintessential volcano experiment (this pair presents black, adding valuable STEM representation), another cheers on a young wheelchair athlete (both present Asian), and a third, wearing a hijab, accompanies her brown-skinned granddaughter on a peace march, as it is “important to speak out for what you believe.” The message of unconditional love is clear throughout: “When you need me, I’ll be there to listen and care. / There is nothing that keeps us apart.” The finished book will include “stationery…for a special letter from Grandma to you!”
This multigenerational snuggle will encourage the sharing of old memories and the creation of new ones. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-0623-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
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