Don’t skip this heartwarming tale of queer representation and acceptance.
When gender tropes impact class activities, a girl feels empowered to speak up.
With a smile and skip in her step, Poppy eagerly heads to school each morning looking forward to the best part: Ava. Even though she chews her pencils and tickles Poppy with her bouncy curls, “Poppy liked sitting next to Ava.” But when the pair play house, Ava would rather ask a boy to “be the daddy” instead of Poppy. What’s more, their teacher, Ms. Merriwick, says the class will be hosting a wedding between “Mr. Q” and “Ms. U” (a common phonics lesson that teaches how the two letters always go together). While the other students enjoy wedding-themed activities, Poppy sits frowning amid a scribbly cloud that visually conveys her angst. When Ava notices, Poppy bravely opens up: “I don’t want Ms. U to marry Mr. Q…. And I don’t want to play house with a boy as the daddy.” The result is an uplifting model of communication and kindness that reinforces the importance of sharing your feelings with those you trust. And though Poppy’s never named as queer, the tale clearly speaks to the power of seeing one’s identity represented. Poppy’s evolving emotions are reflected in squiggles, sparkles, and zigzags throughout; bold, textured background colors are dynamic and almost magical. Direct, clear language will help guide conversations in an age-appropriate, understandable way. Poppy has paper-white skin and dark hair; Ava is brown-skinned and brown-haired.
Don’t skip this heartwarming tale of queer representation and acceptance. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 12, 2026
ISBN: 9781643750965
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
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
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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