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HEARTS IN MY POCKET

Name: HEARTS IN MY POCKET
Author: Nancy Tupper Ling
ISBN: 9781454949749

by Nancy Tupper Ling ; illustrated by Shirley Ng-Benitez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 10, 2024

A tender look at the many emotions that separation can cause.

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Navigating a divorce—and the changes it brings—can be difficult.

A child with tan skin and long brown braids describes the feelings involved in splitting time between two homes. Mommy still lives at the house where the narrator grew up, while Daddy has moved to the city. At one home, the surroundings are almost the same: old friends, familiar neighbors, and a favorite walking trail—but no Daddy. Another has new restaurants, a new bed, and new friends—but no Mommy. School brings more change—a new teacher, new bus routes—but also a return to a beloved art class and cafeteria. The youngster feels split in two. “I’m so mad. I’m tired of going back and forth—wondering…why? Why can’t things be like they were before?” Extra hugs and extra chats help, but nothing heals until the child finds a tiny heart drawn on a train window. The discovery of that heart leads to finding more, including a heart-shaped rock, ornament, and basketball’s bounce pattern. There are hearts all around, just like the family’s love; that is the one thing that divorce hasn’t changed. The tot collects the hearts and holds them close as a reminder. Eagle-eyed readers can flip back to the start and discover other hearts hidden throughout. Ng-Benitez’s delicate, illuminated art shines with warmth. Secondary characters have a variety of skin tones.

A tender look at the many emotions that separation can cause. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Dec. 10, 2024

ISBN: 9781454949749

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Union Square Kids

Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2024

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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FOR EVERY LITTLE THING
edited by June Cotner & Nancy Tupper Ling ; illustrated by Helen Cann

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THE YIN-YANG SISTERS AND THE DRAGON FRIGHTFUL
by Nancy Tupper Ling ; illustrated by Andrea Offermann

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THE STORY I'LL TELL
by Nancy Tupper Ling ; illustrated by Jessica Lanan

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK LOST AND FOUND

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18, 2026

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.

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Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.

After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026

ISBN: 9780063436121

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

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TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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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)