For readers who are going places.
Sometimes getting there is half the fun!
Pablo and his friends Henry, Lily, Mei, and Padma (the kids present as Latinx, white, black, Asian, and South Asian, respectively) decide to go to Coney Island as a fun way to end the summer. Pablo’s dad, who, like his son, has brown skin, agrees to accompany the children. “But how do we get there?” asks Lily. Pablo suggests that they use maps, and then he excitedly plots out their journey: First they will walk to the bus stop; then they will take a bus to the subway; then they will arrive at Coney Island. A true cartophile, Pablo experiences a moment of worry that his friends won’t “think it [is] fun to follow a map,” but his map-reading expertise ends up helping the children be patient as they traverse the city. The best map of all is the one that shows all of the fun rides on Coney Island. An activity suggestion in the backmatter prompts readers to make maps of their own neighborhoods, potentially extending this title’s use beyond its accessibility and support of emergent-literacy skills and into the realm of map-reading, too. As in her other work in this series, Ng-Benitez’s warm, engaging illustrations help define the individual, diverse characters while creating a sense of vibrancy and excitement in the urban setting.
For readers who are going places. (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: June 18, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-62014-569-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lee & Low Books
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2019
An early reader that kids will want to befriend.
In an odd-couple pairing of Bear and Chipmunk, only one friend is truly happy to spend the day at the beach.
“Not me!” is poor Chipmunk’s lament each time Bear expresses the pleasure he takes in sunning, swimming, and other activities at the beach. While controlled, repetitive text makes the story accessible to new readers, slapstick humor characterizes the busy watercolor-and-ink illustrations and adds interest. Poor Chipmunk is pinched by a crab, buried in sand, and swept upside down into the water, to name just a few mishaps. Although other animal beachgoers seem to notice Chipmunk’s distress, Bear cheerily goes about his day and seems blithely ignorant of his friend’s misfortunes. The playful tone of the illustrations helps soften the dynamic so that it doesn’t seem as though Chipmunk is in grave danger or that Bear is cruel. As they leave at the end of the book Bear finally asks, “Why did you come?” and Chipmunk’s sweet response caps off the day with a warm sunset in the background.
An early reader that kids will want to befriend. (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3546-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Bugs, friendship, and fun—what more could burgeoning readers want?
The titular characters collect and protect bugs in this early reader.
Against blocks of cartoonlike green grass and blue sky—with bugs hovering around them—two boys face readers with big smiles. Dirt has light skin and a head of floppy russet hair, while Bugsy has dark skin and an Afro. The text explains that “Dirt and Bugsy are bug catchers. They catch all kinds of bugs.” Bright islands of artwork against the next two white pages show nicely detailed drawings of bugs that “crawl,” “fly,” “slide,” or “hide.” Rudimentary sentences and phrases, subtle rhymes, and repetitive language encourage hesitant readers to stay engaged as a simple plot emerges. The boys are enjoying outdoor time with bugs when it begins to rain. They build a shelter—“a bug barn”—and diligently search for, seize, and house hiding bugs. The story’s conclusion is satisfactory in every way—no small feat in this genre. A welcome endnote, artistically rendered to look handwritten on lined paper, advises kids on how to be responsible bug catchers (“Find a good bug-catching jar”; “Go outside. Look around in good buggy places…”)—and bug releasers.
Bugs, friendship, and fun—what more could burgeoning readers want? (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-51992-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Penguin Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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