Kindness is cool, but it’s unclear whether this purposive effort will really encourage young listeners to commit good deeds. Like all children, the kindergartners in Mrs. Ruler’s class occasionally misbehave. When five of them transgress on a single day, she holds them back from recess and asks them to consider changing their behavior. With one exception, they comply and find that being kind is so rewarding that soon the whole class pitches in. The awkwardly placed text is occasionally difficult to read, particularly when placed against darker colors, and the small font does little to improve matters. Mrs. Ruler regularly speaks in rhyme, which can get tedious while her students’ words consist mainly of a listing of their (decidedly random) acts of kindness. Skewed perspectives, bug-eyed, round-headed children and large swathes of bright, flat color give the illustrations energy and contemporary charm. The appealing pictures, expansive double-page spreads and positive message will likely ensure a wide audience—but a tad more creativity would have been welcome. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: June 26, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-689-87344-7
Page Count: 50
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2007
An unlikely friendship holds fast despite challenges in this boy-meets-squirrel tale. From the moment little Squill leaps into Will’s bassinet, the two remain inseparable, despite the best efforts of two sets of parents to separate or distract them. Singing to each other—“Squill will if Will will!” “Will will if Squill will!”—the two enjoy years of wild romps. Until, that is, Will’s parents bring home a kitten. Though a small, spiky figure in the author’s Marc Simont–style watercolors, Squill exhibits very visible irritation at being left out. Eventually, a tail-pulling incident sends the unrepentant rodent off in disgrace. The fence is mended, though, after Will discovers that his kitten is more interested in naps than rowdy play. Squill has fallen in with a girl interested only in pushing a stroller around, and so they engineer a trade. The tongue-twisting text further animates this take on a well-worn theme. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2006
ISBN: 1-57505-936-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Carolrhoda
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
What should be the best day ever turns bumpy for young Rosemary. The night before her birthday, she’s so excited she jumps up and down on her bed, reminding her brother Petey that he has to be nice to her. But the next morning, things go steadily downhill. Rosemary’s horrible out-of-town cousins come for a visit, Mom doesn’t make her the special breakfast she expected and she takes her bad mood to school, where it gets her into deeper trouble with her teacher, Ms. Swanson. When Principal Neeble informs Rosemary that it’s Ms. Swanson’s birthday too, the little girl realizes that she should have been nice to her teacher, and rushes to make amends. They share cake and confidences. Bottner offers a couple more twists in her subtle tale about feelings and friendships, and Mai-Wyss’s busy paintings are full of sly jokes. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 2007
ISBN: 0-399-24295-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2007
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