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AN INVISIBLE RIVER TO CROSS

Name: AN INVISIBLE RIVER TO CROSS
Author: Taraneh Matloob
ISBN: 9781636551449

by Taraneh Matloob ; illustrated by Kristen Balouch ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2026

A dreamy and layered work that honors children’s complex emotional landscape.

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A struggling young immigrant finds peace through art.

Afsaneh (called Afsi), a brown-skinned youngster with curly hair, was born in a land “far, far away.” Though Afsi’s country of origin is never specified, Afsaneh means “fairy tale” in Persian. Life here is anything but a fairy tale, however—Afsi feels trapped by unfamiliar English words, and learning a new language is like crossing an invisible river “where there is no beginning and no end.” When the teacher calls Afsi’s name in class, Afsi doesn’t understand and feels shame and rage, pictured in explosive reds. But then a classmate offers colored pencils and paper, and Afsi sees that everyone else is drawing. Afsi calms down while creating a family portrait, and the invisible river hums tranquilly. The protagonist’s intense emotional experiences are given full expression in vivid, lyrical language and metaphor, paired with Balouch’s bright, childlike illustrations that resemble cut-paper collage. A small, expressive dragonlike creature accompanies Afsi, reflecting the youngster’s emotions—breathing fire when Afsi screams in anger and curling up by Afsi’s side as the child draws. Readers unfamiliar with the challenges of learning a language will be enlightened, while those who have been in Afsi’s shoes will feel seen. All will find plenty to ponder and discuss on every spread.

A dreamy and layered work that honors children’s complex emotional landscape. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 10, 2026

ISBN: 9781636551449

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Red Comet Press

Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
DEAR NEW FRIEND
by Taraneh Matloob ; illustrated by Alida Massari

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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)