bookshelf

LITTLE O WANTED TO KNOW

Name: LITTLE O WANTED TO KNOW
Author: Rhea Sarason
ISBN: 9780063446199

A FABLE ABOUT FINDING YOUR TRUE SELF

by Rhea Sarason ; illustrated by Barroux ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 31, 2026

Uplifting but rambling.

bookshelf

Lowercase letter o embarks on a physical and emotional journey.

“Once upon a line, / o sat before p, and n was behind.” But o doesn’t care for the rigidity of alphabetical order, and don’t get her started on the Alphabet Song: “Must we sing the song this way? / What if we sung it from z to a?” In frustration, o rolls off and ends up in a land of shapes, but still she doesn’t fit in, which undermines her self-esteem. This letters-as-characters story won’t be mistaken for Chicka Chicka Boom Boom—it’s self-help intended for kids, and though it’s well meaning, it’s too long and meandering and on the didactic side. The narrative, which has its roots in a viral TikTok video, culminates with o realizing that she’s actually Zero, after which there’s some straining for Seussian uplift, and by this point, Sarason seems to have given up on trying to make her rhymes scan (“Finding a place within herself, / O made her dream come true.… // And if you look close enough, / you’ll find O within yOu.” Barroux does what he can with a cast restricted to letters, shapes, and, eventually, numbers, rendering each with a single color (o is purple), skinny limbs, and ping-pong-ball–like eyes with dot pupils. The characters go about their business on flower-speckled green grass, without which this story, which is largely set against open space, might look rather dystopian.

Uplifting but rambling. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 31, 2026

ISBN: 9780063446199

Page Count: 112

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

bookshelf

THE MOST MAGNIFICENT THING

by Ashley Spires ; illustrated by Ashley Spires ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2014

Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...

bookshelf

Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.

First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.

Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: April 1, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-55453-704-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Kids Can

Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
BYE BYE, BUTTERFLY
developed by Ashley Spires ; adapted by Naseem Hrab ; illustrated by Mike Shiell

- BOOK REVIEW
NO MOUSIE LEFT BEHIND
developed by Ashley Spires ; adapted by Naseem Hrab ; illustrated by Mike Shiell

- BOOK REVIEW
THE MOST MAGNIFICENT MAKER'S A TO Z
by Ashley Spires ; illustrated by Ashley Spires

bookshelf

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...

bookshelf

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)