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ALMOST

Name: ALMOST
Author: Richard Torrey
ISBN: 978-0-06-156166-5

by Richard Torrey and illustrated by Richard Torrey ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2009

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For those children who just cannot wait to grow up comes a tale that emphasizes their growing pains and the importance of their families’ support. Jack, a spunky redhead, is “almost six. That is almost grown up.” Much to the chagrin of his older brother, Jack thinks this means he can wear big clothes and ride a big bike. But his attempts at doing adult things don’t always turn out as planned: The toast burns, the milk spills and he strikes out. He almost flips his karate instructor, almost likes vegetables, is almost never scared and is almost sure of his future career. The only absolute surety is the love of his supportive family. Torrey precisely captures Jack’s desperate desire to be bigger and to be able to master the adult world. His facial expressions are spot-on, from Jack’s pride as he attempts something new to that instant when the pride changes to an uh-oh moment. This is a sweet, tongue-in-cheek look at growing up that will reassure the youngest sufferers of youth that they are not alone. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: May 1, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-06-156166-5

Page Count: 40

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2009

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
ALLY-SAURUS & THE VERY BOSSY MONSTER
by Richard Torrey ; illustrated by Richard Torrey

- BOOK REVIEW
THE ALMOST TERRIBLE PLAYDATE
by Richard Torrey ; illustrated by Richard Torrey

- BOOK REVIEW
MY DOG, BOB
by Richard Torrey ; illustrated by Richard Torrey

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OTIS

From the Otis series

by Loren Long & illustrated by Loren Long ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2009

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Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009

ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Philomel

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
OTIS AND THE SCARECROW
by Loren Long ; illustrated by Loren Long

- BOOK REVIEW
AN OTIS CHRISTMAS
by Loren Long ; illustrated by Loren Long

- BOOK REVIEW
OTIS AND THE PUPPY
by Loren Long ; illustrated by Loren Long

- BOOK REVIEW
NEVER FORGET ELEANOR
by Jason June ; illustrated by Loren Long

- BOOK REVIEW
CHANGE SINGS
by Amanda Gorman ; illustrated by Loren Long

- BOOK REVIEW
SOMEONE BUILDS THE DREAM
by Lisa Wheeler ; illustrated by Loren Long

- SEEN & HEARD
Loren Long Inks Book Deal With Roaring Brook Press

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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)