by Sujean Rim ; illustrated by Sujean Rim ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 14, 2015
Birdie is a delightful guide for those new to school, and parents may want to take a page from her mom’s book and have a...
Birdie is back, and this time she is nervous about her first day of school.
So nervous, in fact, that she can’t sleep, which is illustrated to hysterical effect in three overhead views of a tossing-and-turning Birdie in bed with her peacefully slumbering dog, Monster. She shares her worries with Monster in the morning—what it will be like, what should she bring, what should she wear—but he’s no help. But Mommy’s locket helps her remember that she and Monster are always there for her. And Birdie’s first day is great—filled with all the school standards: cubbies, desks, a nice, bearded teacher, stories, songs, a yummy lunch, recess, and art. And at the end of the day, not only does Birdie proudly share everything about her day, but she has trouble sleeping again, this time due to excitement about her second day. Rim’s nicely textured watercolor, colored pencil, and collage illustrations portray Birdie and her multiracial classmates’ transformations from nervous to happy as the day progresses, white backgrounds keeping the focus on the kids.
Birdie is a delightful guide for those new to school, and parents may want to take a page from her mom’s book and have a locket handy. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: July 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-316-40745-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: May 11, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2015
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by Rachel Bright ; illustrated by Chris Chatterton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 6, 2022
Gently models kindness and respect—positive behavior that can be applied daily.
A group of young “dinosauruses” go out into the world on their own.
A fuchsia little Hugasaurus and her Pappysaur (both of whom resemble Triceratops) have never been apart before, but Hugasaurus happily heads off with lunchbox in hand and “wonder in her heart” to make new friends. The story has a first-day-of-school feeling, but Hugasaurus doesn’t end up in a formal school environment; rather, she finds herself on a playground with other little prehistoric creatures, though no teacher or adult seems to be around. At first, the new friends laugh and play. But Hugasaurus’ pals begin to squabble, and play comes to a halt. As she wonders what to do, a fuzzy platypus playmate asks some wise questions (“What…would your Pappy say to do? / What makes YOU feel better?”), and Hugasaurus decides to give everyone a hug—though she remembers to ask permission first. Slowly, good humor is restored and play begins anew with promises to be slow to anger and, in general, to help create a kinder world. Short rhyming verses occasionally use near rhyme but also include fun pairs like ripples and double-triples. Featuring cozy illustrations of brightly colored creatures, the tale sends a strong message about appropriate and inappropriate ways to resolve conflict, the final pages restating the lesson plainly in a refrain that could become a classroom motto. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Gently models kindness and respect—positive behavior that can be applied daily. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-82869-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
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by Rachel Bright ; illustrated by Nadia Shireen
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by Rachel Bright ; illustrated by Nadia Shireen
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by Dana Meachen Rau ; illustrated by Wook Jin Jung ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2013
A straightforward tale of conflict and reconciliation for newly emergent readers? Not exactly, which raises it above the...
In this deceptively spare, very beginning reader, a girl assembles a robot and then treats it like a slave until it goes on strike.
Having put the robot together from a jumble of loose parts, the budding engineer issues an increasingly peremptory series of rhymed orders— “Throw, Bot. / Row, Bot”—that turn from playful activities like chasing bubbles in the yard to tasks like hoeing the garden, mowing the lawn and towing her around in a wagon. Jung crafts a robot with riveted edges, big googly eyes and a smile that turns down in stages to a scowl as the work is piled on. At last, the exhausted robot plops itself down, then in response to its tormentor’s angry “Don’t say no, Bot!” stomps off in a huff. In one to four spacious, sequential panels per spread, Jung develops both the plotline and the emotional conflict using smoothly modeled cartoon figures against monochromatic or minimally detailed backgrounds. The child’s commands, confined in small dialogue balloons, are rhymed until her repentant “Come on home, Bot” breaks the pattern but leads to a more equitable division of labor at the end.
A straightforward tale of conflict and reconciliation for newly emergent readers? Not exactly, which raises it above the rest. (Easy reader. 4-6)Pub Date: June 25, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-87083-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2013
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by Dana Meachen Rau and illustrated by Melissa Iwai
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