Penny and Jelly are sure to warm the hearts of both future talent-show contestants and readers who have similarly close...
The Peabody Elementary School Talent Show is a source of anxiety for Penny, who has no clear talent.
Jelly, Penny’s small black-and-white dog, is her best friend, sticking by her as she tries to figure out what her talent is, no matter how loud, uncomfortable, or unpleasant that process might be. From playing the tuba and juggling to jumping rope and designing doggy fashions, Penny fails at them all. But it’s not for lack of trying or a shortage of determination. Multiple lists and lots of ideas later (magic, yodeling, ballroom dancing), the exasperated Penny finally just crosses the talent show off her list. She doesn’t want to share her “untalentedness” with the whole school. But when Penny reaches her lowest, her dog comes through for her, showing her just what the two of them are best at, and readers will not be surprised at the award they win. Heder’s illustrations appear to be watercolors, and they capture both Penny’s outsider status among other kids and her close relationship with her pooch, who is always at her side. Spot illustrations and white backgrounds work well to show the many activities attempted, and the lists with crossed-off items speak volumes about Penny’s rising frustration level.
Penny and Jelly are sure to warm the hearts of both future talent-show contestants and readers who have similarly close canine friends. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-544-23014-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way.
A young boy sees things a little differently than others.
Noah can see patterns in the dust when it sparkles in the sunlight. And if he puts his nose to the ground, he can smell the “green tang of the ants in the grass.” His most favorite thing of all, however, is to read. Noah has endless curiosity about how and why things work. Books open the door to those answers. But there is one question the books do not explain. When the wind comes whistling by, where does it go? Noah decides to find out. In a chase that has a slight element of danger—wind, after all, is unpredictable—Noah runs down streets, across bridges, near a highway, until the wind lifts him off his feet. Cowman’s gusty wisps show each stream of air turning a different jewel tone, swirling all around. The ribbons gently bring Noah home, setting him down under the same thinking tree where he began. Did it really happen? Worthington’s sensitive exploration leaves readers with their own set of questions and perhaps gratitude for all types of perspective. An author’s note mentions children on the autism spectrum but widens to include all who feel a little different.
An invitation to wonder, imagine and look at everything (humans included) in a new way. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-60554-356-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Redleaf Lane
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2015
This story covers the few days preceding the much-anticipated Midnight Zombie Walk, when Stink and company will take to the...
An all-zombie-all-the-time zombiefest, featuring a bunch of grade-school kids, including protagonist Stink and his happy comrades.
This story covers the few days preceding the much-anticipated Midnight Zombie Walk, when Stink and company will take to the streets in the time-honored stiff-armed, stiff-legged fashion. McDonald signals her intent on page one: “Stink and Webster were playing Attack of the Knitting Needle Zombies when Fred Zombie’s eye fell off and rolled across the floor.” The farce is as broad as the Atlantic, with enough spookiness just below the surface to provide the all-important shivers. Accompanied by Reynolds’ drawings—dozens of scene-setting gems with good, creepy living dead—McDonald shapes chapters around zombie motifs: making zombie costumes, eating zombie fare at school, reading zombie books each other to reach the one-million-minutes-of-reading challenge. When the zombie walk happens, it delivers solid zombie awfulness. McDonald’s feel-good tone is deeply encouraging for readers to get up and do this for themselves because it looks like so much darned fun, while the sub-message—that reading grows “strong hearts and minds,” as well as teeth and bones—is enough of a vital interest to the story line to be taken at face value.Pub Date: March 13, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5692-8
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2012
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