by Lisa Desimini ; illustrated by Lisa Desimini ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 4, 2017
Kids enjoying the intricate visuals won’t worry that the story doesn’t make much sense.
It’s “the greatest show on dogs!”
Born on a drowsy basset hound, Sarafleana is a natural jumper. Snoozer the hound is actually home to a community of fleas; his pelt even boasts its own acrobatic troupe, The Fleatastics. Sarafleana and her siblings easily impress Mr. Itchy, the troupe’s leader, and Sarafleana seems destined for the tippy-top of the Parasite Pyramid. But that would mean staying still, and she doesn’t want to. Earning acclaim as “THE HIGHEST-JUMPING FLEA EVER” is her dream. One morning when Snoozer is at the dog park, the flea circus packs up and parachutes to Sparky, a dog napping nearby. As the crew sets up the circus tent and the hot dog stand, Sarafleana secretly practices. The circus begins, and Sarafleana’s siblings build their pyramid. She goes to the top, planning to impress everyone with her jumping. But, inexplicably, she can’t leap. The show continues and is at its fleanale when a child in the audience calls out for “another TREAT!” Uh-oh. Sparky perks up and starts to scratch, threatening the flea circus. Sarafleana becomes a hero by jumping all over and shouting “Treat,” distracting Sparky and allowing everyone to flee to safety. Desimini’s story is more than a bit disjointed, but her universe of fleas delights with boundless imagination and pockets of hilarious flea dialogue, vivaciously depicted.
Kids enjoying the intricate visuals won’t worry that the story doesn’t make much sense. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-62979-303-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
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by Tom Percival ; illustrated by Tom Percival ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their...
Ruby is an adventurous and happy child until the day she discovers a Worry.
Ruby barely sees the Worry—depicted as a blob of yellow with a frowny unibrow—at first, but as it hovers, the more she notices it and the larger it grows. The longer Ruby is affected by this Worry, the fewer colors appear on the page. Though she tries not to pay attention to the Worry, which no one else can see, ignoring it prevents her from enjoying the things that she once loved. Her constant anxiety about the Worry causes the bright yellow blob to crowd Ruby’s everyday life, which by this point is nearly all washes of gray and white. But at the playground, Ruby sees a boy sitting on a bench with a growing sky-blue Worry of his own. When she invites the boy to talk, his Worry begins to shrink—and when Ruby talks about her own Worry, it also grows smaller. By the book’s conclusion, Ruby learns to control her Worry by talking about what worries her, a priceless lesson for any child—or adult—conveyed in a beautifully child-friendly manner. Ruby presents black, with hair in cornrows and two big afro-puff pigtails, while the boy has pale skin and spiky black hair.
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their feelings (. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0237-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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by Christina Geist ; illustrated by Tim Bowers ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2022
Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient.
How do you make a new friend when an old one moves away?
Buddy (from Sorry, Grown-Ups, You Can’t Go to School, 2019, etc.) is feeling lonely. His best friend just moved across town. To make matters worse, there is a field trip coming up, and Buddy needs a bus partner. His sister, Lady, has some helpful advice for making a new pal: “You just need to find something you have in common.” Buddy loves the game Robo Chargers and karate. Surely there is someone else who does, too! Unfortunately, there isn’t. However, when a new student arrives (one day later) and asks everyone to call her Sunny instead of Alison, Buddy gets excited. No one uses his given name, either; they just call him Buddy. He secretly whispers his “real, official name” to Sunny at lunch—an indication that a true friendship is being formed. The rest of the story plods merrily along, all pieces falling exactly into place (she even likes Robo Chargers!), accompanied by Bowers’ digital art, a mix of spot art and full-bleed illustrations. Friendship-building can be an emotionally charged event in a child’s life—young readers will certainly see themselves in Buddy’s plight—but, alas, there is not much storytelling magic to be found. Buddy and his family are White, Sunny and Mr. Teacher are Black, and Buddy’s other classmates are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-30709-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
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