by Tara Bushby , illustrated by Tara Bushby ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A
An effective introduction to sequence recognition using a kid’s forest adventure. (Picture book. 4-7)
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A girl loses her way in the woods in this debut picture book.
All Faith, a white, blonde-haired, blue-eyed early elementary schooler, wants to do is play on her tablet. But her mom shoos her outside before breakfast, reminding her to stay in the yard. Instead, an owl draws Faith into the woods, where she encounters several other forest creatures. Before too long, Faith is lost, and even though she feels scared, she stops and thinks, trying to remember where she’s been. When the owl lands next to her, she realizes she can remember all the landmarks of the animals she saw to find her way home. Although using creatures may not be the best way to get out of the woods, Bushby’s lesson in remaining calm and retracing your steps gels with basic wilderness advice for those who are lost but close to civilization. Because the book follows Faith’s complete journey, the narrative offers young readers a chance to remember the pattern and trace their own way back to the girl’s home. On the trip home, each of the author’s cartoon illustrations gives readers a clue—they can see the previous animal’s silhouette in the background. Faith’s successful trek will encourage readers to dream of their own backyard escapades.
An effective introduction to sequence recognition using a kid’s forest adventure. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 978-1-5255-5006-5
Page Count: -
Publisher: FriesenPress
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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by Kobi Yamada ; illustrated by Natalie Russell ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 2017
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
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A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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by Justin Rhodes ; illustrated by Heather Dickinson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 14, 2023
Pedestrian.
Mr. Brown can’t help with farm chores because his shoes are missing—a common occurrence in his household and likely in many readers’ as well.
Children will be delighted that the titular Mr. Brown is in fact a child. After Mr. Brown looks in his closet and sorts through his other family members’ shoes with no luck, his father and his siblings help him search the farm. Eventually—after colorful pages that enable readers to spot footwear hiding—the family gives up on their hunt, and Mr. Brown asks to be carried around for the chores. He rides on his father’s shoulders as Papa gets his work done, as seen on a double-page spread of vignettes. The resolution is more of a lesson for the adult readers than for children, a saccharine moment where father and son express their joy that the missing shoes gave them the opportunity for togetherness—with advice for other parents to appreciate those fleeting moments themselves. Though the art is bright and cheerful, taking advantage of the setting, it occasionally is misaligned with the text (for example, the text states that Mr. Brown is wearing his favorite green shirt while the illustration is of a shirt with wide stripes of white and teal blue, which could confuse readers at the point where they’re trying to figure out which family member is Mr. Brown). The family is light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Pedestrian. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5460-0389-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: WorthyKids/Ideals
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
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