An agreeable lesson in inclusion.
Even a noisemaker can find a place in the band.
In this simple but effective Italian import, the author/illustrator of All About Cats (2017) offers a reassuring message. With whimsical, colorful cartoons, she introduces Edward the elephant’s friends, an array of highly individual jungle animals who make beautiful instrumental music together. Alas, no matter what instrument he tries, Edward can make only “a terrible noise.” He never misses a band concert, but he’s always the audience. One day, he’s late, and his noisy arrival suggests another possibility: Edward can be the drummer. The story is conveyed in short sentences surrounded by images full of detail—sometimes in vignettes and sometimes double-page spreads. The Polish illustrator’s appealing animal characters have googly eyes, stylized noses, and happy smiles. The zebra sports dark glasses; Edward wears checkered pants with suspenders. The band members play a wild variety of instruments, from harp and double bass to accordion and toy xylophone. Their jungle is full of colorful variety, too. These bright, scribbly illustrations are the stars of the show. One striking scene shows Edward, drink in hand, enjoying a musical performance, clearly part of the circle even in his role as audience—which (it should have been noted) is also important. The circle is repeated on the last spread, when Edward and his new drum join the band. Whether by accident or design, Filipina often spaces her characters far enough apart from one another to suggest social distancing.
An agreeable lesson in inclusion. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4338-3505-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Magination/American Psychological Association
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts.
In this latest slice in the Food Group series, Humble Pie learns to stand up to a busy friend who’s taking advantage of his pal’s hard work on the sidelines.
Jake the Cake and Humble Pie are good friends. Where Pie is content to toil in the background, Jake happily shines in the spotlight. Alert readers will notice that Pie’s always right there, too, getting A-pluses and skiing expertly just behind—while also doing the support work that keeps every school and social project humming. “Fact: Nobody notices pie when there’s cake nearby!” When the two friends pair up for a science project, things begin well. But when the overcommitted Jake makes excuse after excuse, showing up late or not at all, a panicked Pie realizes that they won’t finish in time. When Jake finally shows up on the night before the project’s due, Pie courageously confronts him. “And for once, I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it.” The friends talk it out and collaborate through the night for the project’s successful presentation in class the next day. John and Oswald’s winning recipe—plentiful puns and delightful visual jokes—has yielded another treat here. The narration does skew didactic as it wraps up: “There’s nothing wrong with having a tough conversation, asking for help, or making sure you’re being treated fairly.” But it’s all good fun, in service of some gentle lessons about social-emotional development.
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063469730
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
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