DUSK EXPLORERS

Name: DUSK EXPLORERS
Author: Lindsay Leslie
ISBN: 978-1-62414-871-2

by Lindsay Leslie ; illustrated by Ellen Rooney ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 2, 2020

This awesome, visually rich story will captivate adults who once played outside until the street lights came on as well as...

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Few 21st-century kids know the joys of romping outside all day, but this book encourages readers to try it.

In this lushly illustrated picture book, the kids in this neighborhood stay in perpetual motion. They play games, ride bikes or scooters, climb trees, roll down grassy hills, and catch frogs, clearly enjoying the outdoors and one another. Twilight settles over their suburban neighborhood as they catch fireflies and splash in a shallow stream, ignoring calls to come home. Ending with an invitation to all dusk explorers, this book persuasively advocates for unplugged, tech-free days, beckoning readers to get outside and play, play, play. The book’s color palette gradually shifts from yellows and greens to blues and purples, with the moon and stars illuminating the final scene. Insects and animals, both domesticated and wild, appear in many scenes. Notably, most of the characters in the illustrations are children of color, with a beautiful array of skin tones, facial features, and hair textures. This message that the outdoors is for everyone from every background will resonate in an era when organizations like Outdoor Afro are encouraging more families of color to get out and experience nature.

This awesome, visually rich story will captivate adults who once played outside until the street lights came on as well as their kids, who will now want to. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: June 2, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-62414-871-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Page Street

Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

- BOOK REVIEW
GUS HEARTS THE BUS
by Lindsay Leslie ; illustrated by Geeta Ladi

- BOOK REVIEW
NOVA THE STAR EATER
by Lindsay Leslie ; illustrated by John Taesoo Kim

- BOOK REVIEW
THIS BOOK IS SPINELESS
by Lindsay Leslie ; illustrated by Alice Brereton

- PROFILES
Celebrating a Magic Time for Kids

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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)