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FINDING FORGIVENESS

Name: FINDING FORGIVENESS
Author: Marta Bartolj
ISBN: 9781797223964

by Marta Bartolj ; illustrated by Marta Bartolj ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 11, 2025

A straightforward and effectively and affectionately drawn tale of youngsters making amends.

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In this wordless picture book, a conflict between friends sets them on a winding path to reconciliation.

The young protagonist catches and cages a lovely little bluebird. The child’s friend visits and, while feeding the bird, accidentally lets it fly away. The protagonist angrily stomps off. Walking through town, the child notices other disputes and their resolutions. A kid tramples through a flower bed and then helps the owner replant. A dog gets loose and interrupts a picnic; its owner helps clean up the mess and joins the picnic-goers. Eventually, the protagonist’s heart softens. Following a good night’s sleep, the child forgives the contrite friend’s honest mistake, and together they find a resolution that pleases them both and gives the bluebird—who’s since returned—the freedom to fly as well. Bartolj depicts an idyllic vision of small-town life, filled with playgrounds, ponds, and pets. Speckled scenery, soft lines, and muted brushwork add to the aura of calm. The whole book is infused with a deep sense of community—families walk together, kids play in groups, and even ducks and other birds fly in pairs. Life, mistakes and all, is best lived together, Bartolj suggests. The protagonist is blond and light-skinned, the friend is darker-skinned and dark-haired, and their neighborhood is diverse.

A straightforward and effectively and affectionately drawn tale of youngsters making amends. (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: March 11, 2025

ISBN: 9781797223964

Page Count: 72

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
EVERY LITTLE KINDNESS
by Marta Bartolj ; illustrated by Marta Bartolj

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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)

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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)