by Patricia Reilly Giff & illustrated by Alasdair Bright ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 10, 2010
This debut title in Giff’s Zigzag Kids series introduces a large cast of characters who gather at the Afternoon Center of Zelda A. Zigzag School. Written with quick sentences, short paragraphs and brief injections of dialogue, the story moves rapidly and is enhanced by Bright’s periodic illustrations. (His portraits of the main players at the beginning of the book also provide a helpful reference.) Anxious new kid Mitchell’s first days at the elementary school are the focus of this first volume. Even though he wears the I’m Number One T-shirt that Nana gave him, he struggles to make friends and show big sister Angel he can take care of himself. As the week progresses, Mitchell gets caught up in antics at the center and worries if he will ever fit in or be good at anything. But Prize Day brings a medal for writing, the admiration of his sister and the discovery of new friend Habib. New chapter-book readers will easily relate to the various troubles and anticipations of this diverse crew. Sequel Big Whopper publishes simultaneously (ISBN: 978-0-385-74688-5; PLB: 978-0-385-90926-6; paper: 978-0-553-49469-3). (Fiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-385-74687-8
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Wendy Lamb/Random
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2010
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by Patricia Reilly Giff & illustrated by Alasdair Bright
by Patricia Reilly Giff & illustrated by Alasdair Bright
by Patricia Reilly Giff & illustrated by Alasdair Bright
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by Patricia Reilly Giff ; illustrated by Abby Carter
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by Lulu Delacre ; illustrated by Lulu Delacre ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 17, 2019
A welcome, well-researched reflection of cultural pride in the early-reader landscape.
The fourth installment in Delacre’s early-reader series centers on the rich musical traditions of Puerto Rico, once again featuring sibling tree frogs Rafi and Rosi Coquí.
Readers learn along with Rafi and Rosi as they explore bomba, plena, and salsa in three chapters. A glossary at the beginning sets readers up well to understand the Spanish vocabulary, including accurate phoneticization for non-Spanish speakers. The stories focus on Rafi and Rosi’s relationship within a musical context. For example, in one chapter Rafi finds out that he attracts a larger audience playing his homemade güiro with Rosi’s help even though he initially excluded her: “Big brothers only.” Even when he makes mistakes, as the older brother, Rafi consoles Rosi when she is embarrassed or angry at him. In each instance, their shared joy for music and dance ultimately shines through any upsets—a valuable reflection of unity. Informational backmatter and author’s sources are extensive. Undoubtedly these will help teachers, librarians, and parents to develop Puerto Rican cultural programs, curriculum, or home activities to extend young readers’ learning. The inclusion of instructions to make one’s own homemade güiro is a thoughtful addition. The Spanish translation, also by Delacre and published simultaneously, will require a more advanced reader than the English one to recognize and comprehend contractions (“pa’bajo-pa-pa’rriba”) and relatively sophisticated vocabulary.
A welcome, well-researched reflection of cultural pride in the early-reader landscape. (Early reader. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-89239-429-6
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Children's Book Press
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
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by Lulu Delacre ; illustrated by Lulu Delacre
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by Lulu Delacre ; illustrated by Lulu Delacre
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by Lulu Delacre ; illustrated by Lulu Delacre
by Deborah Zemke ; illustrated by Deborah Zemke ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 14, 2019
A funny and timely primer for budding activists.
Problems are afoot at Emily Dickinson Elementary School, and it’s up to Bea Garcia to gather the troops and fight.
Bea Garcia and her best friend, Judith Einstein, sit every day under the 250-year-old oak tree in their schoolyard and imagine a face in its trunk. They name it “Emily” after their favorite American poet. Bea loves to draw both real and imagined pictures of their favorite place—the squirrels in the tree, the branches that reach for the sky, the view from the canopy even though she’s never climbed that high. Until the day a problem boy does climb that high, pelting the kids with acorns and then getting stuck. Bert causes such a scene that the school board declares Emily a nuisance and decides to chop it down. Bea and Einstein rally their friends with environmental facts, poetry, and artwork to try to convince the adults in their lives to change their minds. Bea must enlist Bert if she wants her plan to succeed. Can she use her imagination and Bert’s love of monsters to get him in line? In Bea’s fourth outing, Zemke gently encourages her protagonist to grow from an artist into an activist. Her energy and passion spill from both her narration and her frequent cartoons, which humorously extend the text. Spanish-speaking Bea’s Latinx, Einstein and Bert present white, and their classmates are diverse.
A funny and timely primer for budding activists. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 6-9)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7352-2941-9
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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More by Robin Newman
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by Robin Newman ; illustrated by Deborah Zemke
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by Ian Lendler ; illustrated by Deborah Zemke
BOOK REVIEW
by Deborah Zemke ; illustrated by Deborah Zemke
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