A tempting invitation to turn off the lights, put down the screens, and live in the moment—at least for a night.
A power outage offers unexpected joys.
A family of five—two parents, two kids, and a grandparent, all brown-skinned with dark hair—are unwinding for the night when the neighborhood is plunged into darkness. Bally’s succinct stanzas focus on the sensory impact: “Knees bump. / Toes stub. / Hands grasp blindly, / searching, seeking.” After lighting a few candles, the family gathers at the table, irked by the inconvenience of it all: no screens, no air conditioners, only makeshift fans. But one of the parents opens a window, and the night air brings a “reprieve / from the prickly heat.” Soon, everyone begins to appreciate the unexpected benefits of the blackout. Neighbors arrive with food, a game of chess, and a musical instrument. The kids make shadow puppets and suck on frozen treats from the defrosting freezer, and everyone gathers outside beneath the stars. When the power comes on, it’s a jarring interruption, one that evokes mixed emotions, but fond memories of the night linger. In an author’s note, Bally mentions that she drew upon her experiences growing up in Trinidad, where such outages were common. Ladi relies on soft lines; the warm glow of light—from candles or stars in the night sky—illuminates the darkness enticingly.
A tempting invitation to turn off the lights, put down the screens, and live in the moment—at least for a night. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 9, 2026
ISBN: 9781419773693
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
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
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
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)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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