A perfect companion for a young pet lover or pet owner–to-be.
Every story has two sides, but some tales move at a turtle’s pace and require patience and a bit of good fortune.
For Nia’s sixth birthday, she receives a turtle. The little black girl names her new friend Alfie. Nia adores her new friend and eagerly introduces him to all her friends, declaring that Alfie is 6 like her. As much as she loves him, though, Nia soon runs out of things to do with her laid-back turtle friend, so she “kind of forg[ets]” about him. Before long, it’s time to celebrate Nia’s seventh birthday, and that’s when Alfie gets an idea. The second half of the book follows Alfie as he tries to find the perfect gift to repay the love he feels for the little girl who has shared so much of her world. Heder provides a story that doesn’t rhyme, but it does sing with childlike invention and honesty. Who hasn’t wondered what their pet was thinking or where it went that time it disappeared? With beautiful, expressive watercolor illustrations, including an astonishing, spare spread that marks the transition between Nia and Alfie as narrators, and clear, concise wording, Heder takes readers on a journey about what it means to be a child with a new pet who sometimes loses its luster but never its worthiness of love.
A perfect companion for a young pet lover or pet owner–to-be. (author’s note) (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2529-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
A little sentimental but also a thoroughly satisfying solution to the issue of saying goodbye.
A favorite teacher prepares to leave her school in June, but her students don’t want to face that change.
Mrs. McBee resembles Ms. Frizzle: white; unusual clothes, including teal blue socks and two-toned loafers; curly red hair piled messily on her head; and original in her teaching style. Her students are every shade. Strong-willed, take-charge Jamaika, a black girl, quickly appoints herself teacher’s assistant when Mrs. McBee asks for volunteers to clean up the room. The other kids set to work packing, labeling, and carrying even though they are very sad. There is one holdout, shirking his tasks, as Jamaika keeps pointing out. William, a white boy, doesn’t help and even disappears, but there is a surprise in store. The custodian delivers a box addressed to Mrs. McBee. “A yellow hard hat popped up like a jack-in-the-box.” William appears with a sheaf of papers. He has created wonderful pictures of the year’s exciting activities and a card for everyone to sign. On that note, the teacher makes a speech and invites everyone for a “McBeehive hug” and ice cream cones, with swirls of chocolate and vanilla—like “sad and happy twisted together.” The deeply colored, acrylic-and-gouache full-bleed double-page spreads show lots of busy activity in a classroom that any child would like to join.
A little sentimental but also a thoroughly satisfying solution to the issue of saying goodbye. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-56145-944-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Feb. 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
Bravo! (Early reader. 5-7)
A case of stage fright nearly thwarts Andy and Sandy’s act in this latest installment of dePaola and Lewis’ early-reader series.
When friends Sandy, a tall, ginger-haired white girl, and Andy, a short boy of color with light-brown skin and dark hair, find out about an upcoming talent show, Sandy is very excited to participate. Andy, on the other hand, is less than enthusiastic. While Sandy revels in the possibilities of juggling, tumbling, and hula-hooping, Andy has no talent for such acts. Sandy, ever the encouraging friend, offers to teach him to dance, and he tries to keep up with her. But when the big day arrives, it’s Sandy who freezes on stage and Andy who dances his heart out. Sandy eventually joins him as he gently jostles her about in a series of wordless spreads, resulting in a first-prize win for the pair at the show. Throughout, controlled text with just the right amount of repetition will bolster emergent readers’ access and comfort with decoding, and dePaola’s recognizable style will do the same in pictures that reinforce and expand the verbal story’s content.
Bravo! (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: June 13, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7947-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
