An unevenly paced tale of self-worth and identity, buoyed by dynamic visuals.
A nonbinary kid carves out space for themself (and everyone!) at the roller rink.
Decked out in a pink feather boa to match their hair, Nolan feels a little nervous as they arrive at their friend Chloe’s roller-skating birthday party. That’s when the gender-based microaggressions begin. First, a party guest whispers to Chloe, “I thought you weren’t inviting boys?” Then Nolan gets stuck out on the rink when the DJ calls out, “This next song is for the guys! Boys skate only!” No one notices when Nolan takes a spill. The child’s distress heightens when “Girls skate!” is announced. “DO I EVEN BELONG HERE?!” Nolan wonders. In a series of wordless panels, Nolan’s dejection turns to determination as they approach the DJ and whisper a request. The story ends with the DJ dedicating the next song to Nolan and adding, “Everyone is welcome to skate!” Chen’s thick-lined, appealingly solid images are alive with rich color and detail that will draw in readers. Though the book comes to a happy ending, with Nolan learning to advocate for themself, the conclusion feels abrupt; it isn’t clear why or how Nolan summons the courage to assert themself. As a result, the narrative has less sparkle than its vibrant illustrations. Nolan is brown-skinned, while Chloe is light-skinned; their peers have a range of hair and skin tones.
An unevenly paced tale of self-worth and identity, buoyed by dynamic visuals. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 11, 2024
ISBN: 9781499815238
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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