Will please the author’s adult fans and win her a new generation of admirers.
Grammy Award–winning singer and songwriter Blige encourages kids to march to the beat of their own drums.
Mary, a Black girl based on the author, loves playing double Dutch, cooking with her grandmother, and singing. What doesn’t our spirited protagonist love? The word no. Nothing frustrates her more than being told she can’t do something. When Mary’s teacher Mrs. Robinson tells the class that they’ll be learning scales and then picking a lead singer for an upcoming showcase, Mary starts belting out, “Do, re, mi.” Mrs. Robinson stops her: “Mary, you CAN’T jump right into scales; you don’t know them yet.” After that, Mary seems to hear You can’t everywhere you go. Her mother tells her that the phrase just isn’t part of their family’s vocabulary, and with a renewed sense of confidence, Mary “learns…to beat ‘can’t’ with ‘can.’ ” And when she returns to school and asks Mrs. Robinson if she can sing scales, Mary proves that yes, indeed, she can. Infused with an affirming tone, this picture book features bright, peppy colors, plenty of energy, and a winsome protagonist. In an author’s note, Blige explains that the book was inspired by her own experiences. Mrs. Robinson is Black; Mary’s classmates are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Will please the author’s adult fans and win her a new generation of admirers. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 28, 2023
ISBN: 9780063216396
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A deliciously sweet reminder to try one’s unique best.
This smart cookie wasn’t alwaysa smart cookie.
At the corner of Sweet Street stands a bakery, which a whole range of buns and cakes and treats calls home, including a small cookie who “didn’t feel comfortable speaking up or sharing” any ideas once upon a time. During the early days of gingerbread school, this cookie (with sprinkles on its top half, above its wide eyes and tiny, smiling mouth) never got the best grades, didn’t raise a hand to answer questions, and almost always finished most tests last, despite all best efforts. As a result, the cookie would worry away the nights inside of a cookie jar. Then one day, kind Ms. Biscotti assigns some homework that asks everyone “to create something completely original.” What to do? The cookie’s first attempts (baking, building a birdhouse, sculpting) fail, but an idea strikes soon enough. “A poem!” Titling its opus “My Crumby Days,” the budding cookie poet writes and writes until done. “AHA!” When the time arrives to share the poem with the class, this cookie learns that there’s more than one way to be smart. John and Oswald’s latest installment in the hilarious Food Group series continues to provide plenty of belly laughs (thanks to puns galore!) and mini buns of wisdom in a wholly effervescent package. Oswald’s artwork retains its playful, colorful creative streak. Although slightly less effective than its predecessors due to its rather broad message, this one’s nonetheless an excellent addition to the menu.(This book was reviewed digitally.)
A deliciously sweet reminder to try one’s unique best. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-304540-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 23, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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