A straightforward, if perhaps overly simple, early chapter book about middle childhood.
A young girl examines her role as a middle child on a trip to the beach with her chaotic family in Prior’s novel for young readers.
Emma isn’t big, and she isn’t little: She’s right in the middle, with two brothers, one older and one younger. When she and her family go on vacation to the beach, Emma decides she’s no longer interested in squishing between her siblings in the car with none of the privileges of her older brother, nicknamed Big, and none of the coddling of her younger brother, known as Little. No, Emma is going to be big simply by acting as if she’s grown up, even if it means abandoning her best friend and fellow middle child, Wes the Best, while on vacation. She puts on lipstick and speaks like adults she’s seen on TV, but her mature act ends in disaster. Next, Emma tries a new tack and decides to pretend to be little instead; that doesn’t go according to plan either. Emma is at a loss as to what she should do next when assistance with her “dilEmma” comes from an unexpected corner. The solution is fairly simple and predictable, but it teaches a valuable lesson about embracing one’s personality and learning to appreciate what makes one unique, and it holds together well. That said, the story could have used some fleshing out, as its length is awkwardly short for the presumed 6- or 7-year-old audience, who may already be gravitating toward longer books, such as the Jasmine Toguchi series by Debbi Michiko Florence or the JD the Kid Barberbooks by J. Dillard. Kissi’s full-color cover and black-and-white cartoonlike illustrations depict Emma and her family as Black.
A straightforward, if perhaps overly simple, early chapter book about middle childhood.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-947159-60-0
Page Count: 66
Publisher: One Elm Books
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends
Gerald the elephant learns a truth familiar to every preschooler—heck, every human: “Waiting is not easy!”
When Piggie cartwheels up to Gerald announcing that she has a surprise for him, Gerald is less than pleased to learn that the “surprise is a surprise.” Gerald pumps Piggie for information (it’s big, it’s pretty, and they can share it), but Piggie holds fast on this basic principle: Gerald will have to wait. Gerald lets out an almighty “GROAN!” Variations on this basic exchange occur throughout the day; Gerald pleads, Piggie insists they must wait; Gerald groans. As the day turns to twilight (signaled by the backgrounds that darken from mauve to gray to charcoal), Gerald gets grumpy. “WE HAVE WASTED THE WHOLE DAY!…And for WHAT!?” Piggie then gestures up to the Milky Way, which an awed Gerald acknowledges “was worth the wait.” Willems relies even more than usual on the slightest of changes in posture, layout and typography, as two waiting figures can’t help but be pretty static. At one point, Piggie assumes the lotus position, infuriating Gerald. Most amusingly, Gerald’s elephantine groans assume weighty physicality in spread-filling speech bubbles that knock Piggie to the ground. And the spectacular, photo-collaged images of the Milky Way that dwarf the two friends makes it clear that it was indeed worth the wait.
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends . (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9957-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An absolute pleasure.
A small dog takes a huge leap.
True to her name, sled dog puppy Leap spends her days bounding happily through blankets of freshly fallen snow, bouncily biding her time until she, too, can suit up for a run with the team. Each dog brings a different, equally essential skill to the work of mushing, and as too-young Leap greets the pack when they return from their daily hike, she worries—what if she lacks a special talent of her own when it’s her time to race? But when the much-anticipated day arrives and Leap clips in for her rookie run, her feet tippity-tap excitedly, any trace of self-doubt eclipsed by her irrepressible enthusiasm. With their new addition in tow, the other dogs take off, buoyed as ever by a confidence borne from specialized expertise; they confront obstacles head-on, sailing easily along icy Northwoods terrain. That is until the team encounters a seemingly insurmountable hurdle, one that only their greenest member can clear. Dogsled racer Braverman’s sweet narrative builds a satisfying case for individuality as a community asset, celebrating both the value of teamwork and the discrete strengths that comprise it. Savvy readers will take pride in predicting Leap’s unique contribution, while canine lovers will delight in the revelation that the pups depicted are all real-life sled dogs working in northern Wisconsin. When’s illustrations are equal parts spellbinding and precious, deftly balancing compositional simplicity with masterful color work. The result is peerless.
An absolute pleasure. (author’s note) (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2025
ISBN: 9780063238053
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
