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TENACIOUS WON'T GIVE UP

Name: TENACIOUS WON'T GIVE UP
Author: Pam Vaughan
ISBN: 9780593645215

by Pam Vaughan ; illustrated by Leanne Hatch ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 24, 2025

A practical and refreshingly inclusive take on persistence.

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A child struggles to ride her bike.

Tenacious has always lived up to her name, whether walking to a waterfall when her legs are tired or climbing to the “tippy-top of the tire swing.” And now she’s determined to ride her bike in the Wheel Parade. Although she does her best to maintain her balance, Tenacious keeps crashing—and the parade is this afternoon! Fortunately, Tenacious’ sister, Sage, knows “a thing or two about riding around on wheels.” Sage, a talented wheelchair basketball player, suggests that instead of trying her hardest, Tenacious try her “smartest.” For Sage, that means visualizing making a successful basket, practicing, and adjusting her technique as needed. Following Sage’s example, Tenacious imagines herself pedaling with the other kids, and when she “wiggle[s]” and “wobble[s]” and “weave[s],” she, like Sage, “lean[s] a little left” and “rotate[s] a little right.” Soon, Tenacious is pedaling around the neighborhood—and, as the parade begins, even challenging Sage to a race. Hatch’s sunny cartoon illustrations readily convey Tenacious’ resolve and frustration. Vaughan’s portrayal of a disabled sibling as a supportive mentor rather than an opportunity to explain disabilities shows welcome representation, and readers of all abilities will find Sage’s advice helpful as they practice their own endeavors. Tenacious and Sage have light skin; background characters are racially diverse.

A practical and refreshingly inclusive take on persistence. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: June 24, 2025

ISBN: 9780593645215

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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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)

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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

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FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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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)