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B. BEAR AND LOLLY

Name: B. BEAR AND LOLLY
Author: A.A. Livingston
ISBN: 978-0-06-219788-7

OFF TO SCHOOL

From the B. Bear and Lolly series

by A.A. Livingston ; illustrated by Joey Chou ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 24, 2014

While it’s a relatively appealing addition to the fractured-fairy-tale and back-to-school shelves, this may replace...

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Apparently, Goldilocks and the littlest bear (don’t you dare call him Baby) became best friends after the infamous porridge/chair/bed encounter, and now, they face the first day of school together.

While Lolly is mainly looking forward to recess, B. Bear is enthusiastic about going to kindergarten to learn new things…until the actual first day of school, when he turns almost neurotic about meeting new people, having the right things in his backpack and getting to school on time (he pulls Lolly from the house, her porridge spoon still in hand). When B. Bear’s carefully chosen school supplies are carried away (literally), how will he manage? He needed those. Or did he? He’s got Lolly, and maybe that’s all he needs: a friend. In a nod to minimalism, the heavily laden B. Bear is juxtaposed against the pencil-wielding Lolly, who muses, “I may have packed too much.” Chou’s brightly colored digital illustrations are a nifty exercise in character spotting, as he hides other fairy-tale characters and settings; Lolly’s shortcut passes by an infamous house of straw. And Livingston plays up the original “Goldilocks” fairy tale when the duo goes shopping for supplies—this outfit is too bright, that one too hot, etc.

While it’s a relatively appealing addition to the fractured-fairy-tale and back-to-school shelves, this may replace going-to-school worries with having-a-friend fears—not every child comes equipped with a pal like Lolly. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 24, 2014

ISBN: 978-0-06-219788-7

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
GRIZELDA THE GREEN HATES HALLOWEEN
by A.A. Livingston ; illustrated by Katya Longhi

- BOOK REVIEW
B. BEAR AND LOLLY
by A.A. Livingston ; illustrated by Joey Chou

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DECOY SAVES OPENING DAY

by Shohei Ohtani & Michael Blank ; illustrated by Fanny Liem ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 3, 2026

A charming tale of an athlete who may not steal any bases but who will certainly steal readers’ hearts.

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Ohtani, pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, teams up with Blank and Liem to tell the story of how his dog, Decoy, threw out a ceremonial first pitch.

It’s a big day! Decoy leaps “off the bed. Then back onto the bed. Then off the bed.” The enthusiastic pup heads outside to practice with his lucky baseball but is quickly distracted by squirrels (“we’ll play later!”), airplanes (“flyin’ high!”), and flowers (“smell ya soon!”). Dog and pitcher then head to the ballpark. In the locker room, Decoy high-paws Shohei’s teammates. It’s nearly time! But as Shohei prepares to warm up, Decoy realizes that he’s forgotten something important: his lucky ball. Without it, there will be “no championships, no parades, and no hot dogs!” Back home he goes, returning just in time. With Shohei at the plate, Decoy runs from the mound to his owner, rolling the ball into Shohei’s mitt for a “Striiiiike!” Related from a dog’s point of view, Ohtani and Blank’s energetic text lends the tale a sense of urgency and suspense. Liem’s illustrations capture the excitement of the first day of baseball season and the joys of locker room camaraderie, as well as Shohei and Decoy’s mutual affection—even when the ball is drenched in slobber, Shohei’s love for his pet shines through, and clearly, Decoy is focused when it matters.

A charming tale of an athlete who may not steal any bases but who will certainly steal readers’ hearts. (Picture book. 5-7)

Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026

ISBN: 9780063460775

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

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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)