Fun rhymes with a hint of nostalgia.
Howell introduces original verses and rhymes that will engage young readers.
This collection of simple, playful poems covers a multitude of traditional, familiar topics. All tackle subjects that will appeal to young children, with titles such as “Making a Fort” and “Chasing Leaves.” Many lines encourage movement, such as “Bend your elbow. Tap your knee” in “Follow the Leader”; in “Yoga Moves” a young speaker says, “I stretch around and twist. I bend to touch my toes.” Howell’s verses are easy to read with simple, singsong rhythm and cadence. The majority are brief and light in tone, but a few are longer, such as “Snowstorm,” “Family Treasures,” and “Grandpa’s Day” (“Grampa, hum my favorite song / While I bounce and bob along”), and the reflections they spark add needed variation. The rhymes, in elementary vocabulary, feel natural, and the use of the Dyslexie typeface will allow those with reading disorders to better access the text. The short lines mingle with the charming, friendly, and vibrant illustrations, and the page design achieves balance with small chunks of text appearing in varying locations on each page. The organization of the poems feels haphazard, but readers will be happy to meander through the book.
Fun rhymes with a hint of nostalgia.Pub Date: March 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-64372-054-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: MacLaren-Cochrane Publishing
Review Posted Online: April 23, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
A lushly illustrated homage to librarians who provide a welcome and a home away from home for all who enter.
A love letter to libraries.
A Black child, with hair in two puffballs tied with yellow ribbons, a blue dress with a Peter Pan collar, and black patent leather Mary Janes, helps Grandmother with the housework, then, at Grandmother’s suggestion, heads to the library. The child’s eagerness to go, with two books under an arm and one in their hand, suggests that this is a favorite destination. The books’ wordless covers emphasize their endless possibilities. The protagonist’s description of the library makes clear that they are always free to be themselves there—whether they feel happy or sad, whether they’re reading mysteries or recipes, and whether they feel “quick and smart” or “contained and cautious.” Robinson’s vibrant, carefully composed digital illustrations, with bright colors that invite readers in and textures and patterns in every image, effectively capture the protagonist’s passion for reading and appreciation for a space where they feel accepted regardless of disposition. In her author’s note, Giovanni states that she spent summers visiting her grandmother in Knoxville, Tennessee, where she went to the Carnegie Branch of the Lawson McGhee Library. She expresses gratitude for Mrs. Long, the librarian, who often traveled to the main library to get books that Giovanni could not find in their segregated branch. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A lushly illustrated homage to librarians who provide a welcome and a home away from home for all who enter. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 27, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-358-38765-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Versify/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
SEEN & HEARD
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