A thoughtful reflection on belonging that celebrates diverse minds and bodies in our interconnected world.
Nature thrives on diversity, and so do we.
When a class of students venture into a forest for a field trip, light-skinned Joy’s initial enthusiasm turns to anxiety. How will she choose just one thing to focus on for the class art project? But she soon realizes that her classmates’ unique perspectives are collectively creating a fuller understanding and appreciation of nature. The class includes children of various skin tones and abilities, mirroring the natural diversity they discover in the forest. As she did in More Than Words (2023), the author helps readers see that differences are gifts. As Joy and her classmates examine various aspects of the forest, from flowers and fungi to towering trees, parallels emerge between ecological interdependence and human physio- and neurodiversity. Accompanied by visually enticing, evocative mixed-media illustrations, the narrative weaves between concrete observations and abstract concepts, offering numerous entry points for young readers to consider how differences strengthen both natural and human communities. Rich scientific information on the endpapers and throughout provides additional context that invites deeper exploration, though the wealth of content and concepts occasionally prioritizes messaging over storytelling momentum. Enlightening backmatter includes explanations about neurodiversity and the author’s personal connection to disability advocacy.
A thoughtful reflection on belonging that celebrates diverse minds and bodies in our interconnected world. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781250864512
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
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
BOOK REVIEW
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.
Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026
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