by Lisa Papp ; illustrated by Lisa Papp ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2019
While the often harsh realities of animal shelters and rescue animals are glossed over in this introduction to the subject,...
A little girl adopts a puppy and starts a program at an animal shelter in which children read to dogs and cats waiting for adoption.
The resourceful little girl gained confidence in her own reading abilities by reading out loud to a huge, white dog in the initial story, Madeline Finn and the Library Dog (2016). Now Madeline is adopting a puppy from a litter born to the dog who helped her in the library reading program. Madeline names her puppy Star and learns all about taking care of a new pet. When Madeline visits an animal shelter, she wants to help the dogs and cats feel loved. She designs her own volunteer program, enlisting other children to read to the animals at the shelter as well as donating towels and blankets. The cheerful story, narrated in first-person present-tense by Madeline, concludes with a lonely dog being adopted by a boy who is one of the volunteer readers. Charming, soft-focus illustrations in pencil and watercolor have an old-fashioned flavor, with appealing dogs and a quiet, pastel palette. Madeline and her mother present white, the shelter supervisor is a woman with brown skin and dark, curly hair, and the kids in the reading program include several children of color.
While the often harsh realities of animal shelters and rescue animals are glossed over in this introduction to the subject, the story provides a positive look at two ways of acquiring a new pet. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-68263-075-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Nov. 25, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2018
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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...
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
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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings
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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
by Hoda Kotb ; illustrated by Chloe Dominique ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2024
Pleasant enough but not particularly original.
Uplifting messages of positivity from the Today show anchor.
Hope springs eternal, so the saying goes. Kotb agrees, here delivering to children the cheery news that hope lives inside all of them and that whatever they might wish for can be theirs. All they need is a sunny outlook, and the possibilities for happy outcomes are virtually endless. Children’s dreams can be in-the-moment ones—like purple ice cream with whipped cream and a cherry—or more far-ranging ones, such as growing tall enough to reach that high shelf easily or for hair that’s long enough to braid. It doesn’t matter, the author reassures young readers. Your aspirations will be realized, so don’t give up on them—just keep believing in them and, most of all, in yourself. Throughout, Kotb calls hope a rainbow, a feeling, a gift, and a wish. Hope is “new friends you’ll find— / friends who are loving and funny and kind.” Hope is “practicing your heart out, letter by letter.” The book’s overarching theme is upbeat, but its bouncy rhyming text is clumsy. The child-appealing illustrations are colorful and lively, though they have a generic look. The cast of wide-eyed characters is racially diverse; some have visible disabilities.
Pleasant enough but not particularly original. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780593624128
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 16, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2024
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by Hoda Kotb ; illustrated by Suzie Mason
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