A parable driven by enjoyable absurdity, with an unmissable point at its heart.
What are the consequences of censorship run amok?
Edwin’s week seems to be off to a typical start, but everything lurches off track when he arrives at school to find the library shelves completely bare. Ms. Paige tries to explain the reasoning behind banning books about space (“They promote anti-gravity ideas”), but Edwin thinks the rationale is silly. He fears that there might be no limit to what is prohibited (triple-fudge sundaes?), and indeed, in town everything green has already disappeared (including traffic lights). Birdsong is banned on Tuesday, the letter S on Wednesday, then Mr. Jericho’s jokes, the number 5, and unicorn books. Banning the sun makes everything gray and everyone miserable. But Edwin has an idea, and his friends jump on board. They stage a demonstration calling for un-banning. Just like that, everyone agrees, colors return, the sun shines, and Edwin can do his favorite thing: “read a book.” The resolution is a tad pat, but kids will revel in the exaggerated examples; an entire page is devoted to posters of things the townspeople wish to ban, from “robot dancing” to roller blading in a dinosaur outfit. An author’s note explains book challenges and argues for their abolition. Cushley’s art blends realism, expressionism, and cartoon stylization, using neon colors to grab readers’ attention and alternating between vignettes and double spreads to effectively underscore the message.
A parable driven by enjoyable absurdity, with an unmissable point at its heart. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 9, 2026
ISBN: 9780807536810
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...
Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.
First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-55453-704-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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