A ray of sunshine for those youngsters who, like our protagonist, know what truly matters.
Little Cloud is different from the others.
Fong’s delicate, digitally compiled watercolors introduce ephemeral white clouds with human features flying against purplish-gray skies. Everyone is “busy being busy,” assembling their lightning flashes and water buckets, getting ready to storm—all but Little Cloud, who implores them to “look at the wonderful things below.” “NO TIME!” thunders Big Gray Cloud. But Little Cloud’s enchanted by the sights below. Briefly, we see several tall evergreens reflected in Big Gray Cloud’s angry eyes. Finally, Little Cloud spots actual trees on the land below as a warmer palette takes over. Full-color, finely detailed farm scenes depict a red barn and a silver silo and a young East Asian–presenting child waving from a farmhouse window. The scene expands, and small vignettes show animal families waking up. Little Cloud is enchanted to see a little black-and-white cow glance up with a wink. “FOCUS!” Big Gray Cloud yells at the mischievous subordinate, but suddenly, an orange glow enters the picture, and bright sunlight chases away the clouds. No one can get over their disappointment, except Little Cloud, who’s delighted at the pleasures of a beautiful day. Many readers will relate; this is a simple but effective read-aloud that makes lovely use of visual storytelling.
A ray of sunshine for those youngsters who, like our protagonist, know what truly matters. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063359994
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2025
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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