ELEANOR WYATT, PRINCESS AND PIRATE

Name: ELEANOR WYATT, PRINCESS AND PIRATE
Author: Rachael MacFarlane
ISBN: 978-1-250-13857-6

by Rachael MacFarlane ; illustrated by Spencer Laudiero ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 6, 2018

The text is simple, but its message may resonate with children who don’t self-identify according to societal expectations.

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Princess or pirate? Eleanor Wyatt demonstrates that a girl doesn’t have to limit herself to one identity.

Sometimes Eleanor dresses in a pink ball gown and pretends to live in a castle with her loyal stuffed-animal subjects. In an instant, however, she can switch into pirate attire, turning her castle into a fort and her toys into a “swashbuckling band.” She can even combine both imaginary worlds as she serves tea on the high seas. Whether she’s a rock star, aviator, ballerina, ninja, or superhero, Eleanor explains in lilting rhyme, “Let your inner light shine, and be who you are. / Let your friends do the same, and you’ll shine like a star.” This spirited girl looks as though she stepped out of an animated television series. With author MacFarlane, who’s voiced numerous characters on animated shows, and illustrator Laudiero, an animation director for popular television shows and movies, it’s no wonder. Although Eleanor is white, the picture book includes human friends with varying shades of brown skin. Most notably, the illustrations feature a knight who uses a wheelchair, males in tutus and dresses, females as firefighters and sheriffs, and children of ambiguous genders as football players, scientists, etc. And Eleanor’s parents support it all.

The text is simple, but its message may resonate with children who don’t self-identify according to societal expectations. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: Nov. 6, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-250-13857-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Imprint

Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
HARRISON DWIGHT, BALLERINA AND KNIGHT
by Rachael MacFarlane ; illustrated by Spencer Laudiero

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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

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
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)