by Lisa Harkrader ; illustrated by Jessica Warrick ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2017
An amiable continuation of the series.
With the school carnival approaching, why isn’t Spork excited about it?
Galaxy Scout Spork has been learning about Earth and earthlings in Mrs. Buckle’s third-grade class for a while now. In this volume, the rest of the class is focused on planning the school carnival, but Spork seems a bit reticent. When Mrs. Buckle brings kindness into the discussion, Trixie Lopez wants to prove “she could be the kindest kid in the whole third grade,” but it’s not so easy. Thinking Spork is homesick, she proposes a space theme for the carnival, but far from making him happy, it seems to worry him. Will Trixie find a way to be kind? And what is bothering Spork? This kindness-themed entry in the How to Be an Earthling series, which focuses on character traits, is a bit convoluted; simultaneously released volumes Alien in the Outfield, by Lori Haskins Houran (perseverance), May the Votes Be with You, by Harkrader (citizenship), and Money Doesn’t Grow on Mars, by Houran (self-control) integrate their lessons a bit more seamlessly. However, readers new to chapters likely won’t notice and will identify with the ethnically diverse denizens of Mrs. Buckle’s class. Series illustrator Warrick contributes many black-and-white cartoon illustrations of wide-eyed, expressive kids with different skin tones; Trixie has medium-brown skin, and Mrs. Buckle is black. Activities in the backmatter round out the lessons.
An amiable continuation of the series. (Science fiction. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-57565-847-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Kane Press
Review Posted Online: Jan. 31, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
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by Maribeth Boelts ; illustrated by Noah Z. Jones ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 4, 2016
Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on...
Continuing from their acclaimed Those Shoes (2007), Boelts and Jones entwine conversations on money, motives, and morality.
This second collaboration between author and illustrator is set within an urban multicultural streetscape, where brown-skinned protagonist Ruben wishes for a bike like his friend Sergio’s. He wishes, but Ruben knows too well the pressure his family feels to prioritize the essentials. While Sergio buys a pack of football cards from Sonny’s Grocery, Ruben must buy the bread his mom wants. A familiar lady drops what Ruben believes to be a $1 bill, but picking it up, to his shock, he discovers $100! Is this Ruben’s chance to get himself the bike of his dreams? In a fateful twist, Ruben loses track of the C-note and is sent into a panic. After finally finding it nestled deep in a backpack pocket, he comes to a sense of moral clarity: “I remember how it was for me when that money that was hers—then mine—was gone.” When he returns the bill to her, the lady offers Ruben her blessing, leaving him with double-dipped emotions, “happy and mixed up, full and empty.” Readers will be pleased that there’s no reward for Ruben’s choice of integrity beyond the priceless love and warmth of a family’s care and pride.
Embedded in this heartwarming story of doing the right thing is a deft examination of the pressures of income inequality on children. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6649-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
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by Andrea Beaty ; illustrated by David Roberts ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2023
A much-needed reminder that kindness will always win out.
Teachers influence children profoundly.
From earliest childhood, Lila Greer, the youngest of five in a single-dad household, has been a worrier. Then the family moves. Entering second grade feels overwhelming: Nothing’s familiar, and she has no friends. But Ms. Kern, Lila’s new teacher, invites Lila to erase the chalkboard at recess and to articulate her fears. It helps that someone listens. Soon, classmates get into the act, and lonely Lila makes friends, emerges from her shell, and learns that “what ifs” have positive sides. Lila grows up, still fretting sometimes, and then becomes a new teacher who worries upon meeting her own students. But then she remembers the teacher who helped her overcome her fears and doubts years earlier. What was that marvelous, ineffable quality Ms. Kern possessed? Then Lila remembers: It was kindness! Harnessing that memory, Lila now welcomes her own “smiling young faces.” This is a sweet story that emphasizes good cheer, helpfulness, and the importance of feeling welcome and heard, no matter who you are: terrific messages, expressed in bouncy verses that scan well. The illustrations are colorfully lively. Readers will appreciate occasional displays of humorous and quirky typesetting creativity and will admire Lila’s poufy topknot, which resembles a huge ball of yarn. Lila is light-skinned, Ms. Kern is tan-skinned, and other characters are diverse.
A much-needed reminder that kindness will always win out. (author’s note) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9781419769047
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
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