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SAME LOVE, DIFFERENT HUG

Name: SAME LOVE, DIFFERENT HUG
Author: Sarah Hovorka
ISBN: 9780358712817

by Sarah Hovorka ; illustrated by Abbey Bryant ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 13, 2023

Will show readers that their options for expressing affection are many.

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What kind of a hugger are you—“rough, tough never enough” or “gentle, slow don’t-let-go”?

Although Hovorka’s children found it hard to give her hugs for fear of hurting her due to her disability, they soon discovered that there were many different ways to hug—a realization that led to this book. Readers may already be familiar with bear hugs, but what about “don’t-look-back sneak-attack” hugs or a “big-grin around-we-spin” hug, shared in an accompanying illustration by a child and an adult wheelchair user twirling around together? Sometimes it’s best to save a hug for later, send a “stay-in-place need-my-space wave,” or create a secret handshake instead. Group hugs can be the cure for a day when “sadness swells to the brim,” and celebration days usually require a “skip, prance happy-dance HUG!” The brief, fun rhymes and creative names for the hug variations make reading aloud fun for storytellers and listeners alike. By turns soothing and action-packed, earth-toned cartoon illustrations capture a wide range of situations, from quiet, loving support when someone is sick or in need of alone time to the playful exuberance of big celebrations. Depicting a diverse group of people modeling many versions of loving behavior, these images are ideal for young readers exploring social-emotional skills and learning to respect others’ personal boundaries and preferences. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Will show readers that their options for expressing affection are many. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: June 13, 2023

ISBN: 9780358712817

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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CARPENTER'S HELPER

by Sybil Rosen ; illustrated by Camille Garoche ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 16, 2021

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.

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A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.

Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)

Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 16, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random

Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

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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)