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IT BEGAN WITH A BUZZ

Name: IT BEGAN WITH A BUZZ
Author: Shiva Delsooz
ISBN: 9781771477031

by Shiva Delsooz ; illustrated by Shiva Delsooz ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 14, 2025

An encouraging take on coping with a frustrating condition.

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A child reflects on struggling with tinnitus.

“It sounded like a bee,” the young narrator says of the constant buzzing noise that no one else could hear. But the narrator could: “I couldn’t think clearly…and I felt very alone.” Scratchy cartoon illustrations vividly convey the child’s frustrated attempts to banish the buzz, which Delsooz portrays as a hovering bee. Nothing seems to help. Finally, the narrator gets a diagnosis—a doctor points to a vaguely drawn diagram of the brain and inner ear labeled “tinnitus” but provides no advice or help. Just as the prognosis appears hopeless, the child winds up a music box, and in a rainbow burst of notes, “the buzzing quiet[s],” offering “magical” relief. “There will always be buzzing,” the narrator acknowledges, and while some days are difficult, “I listen to my music…and keep going.” The word tinnitus is limited to the illustrated diagram, and some readers may wish for more concrete details. Still, likening the condition to a pesky bee may help youngsters conceptualize the condition. In particular, a humorous depiction of the tinnitus-bee accompanying the narrator’s music box on the piano reassuringly underscores that, though tinnitus may be annoying, it can be tamed. While the narrator’s mitigation method might not work for everyone, many will be inspired to find their own coping mechanisms. Characters have light skin.

An encouraging take on coping with a frustrating condition. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2025

ISBN: 9781771477031

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Owlkids Books

Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE EIDI BAG
by Shazia Afzal ; illustrated by Shiva Delsooz

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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)

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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)