A reassuring primer on coping with anxiety.
A trip to the aquarium prompts a little girl to overcome a big obstacle.
“Every morning, Camila’s what if worries show up uninvited and follow her out the door.” When her teacher announces an upcoming field trip, Camila spends the week fretting. When she finally arrives at the aquarium, she goes to find a quiet spot for a break—only to discover a classmate also taking a moment away. Kai desperately wants to see the aquarium’s stingray but is scared and asks Camila for help. She decides to step up instead of sinking into her own anxiety. After accompanying Kai to the stingray exhibit, Camila “bravely keeps on trying—in both big and little ways,” such as giving a class presentation on octopuses and joining a game of hide-and-seek. The text is empathetic toward Camila, never judging her anxiety while also showing ways to reduce it. Barton’s soft, muted illustrations are calming but still convey the characters’ strong emotions. The backmatter includes discussion questions and recommended reading for kids; however, though it seems likely that Camila has an anxiety disorder, there are no resources for adults on helping children deal with anxiety. Camila has tan skin and straight black hair cropped just below her ears. Her classmates have a range of skin tones from pale and sandy to light brown. A few classmates have textured hair, and Kai appears to be Asian. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A reassuring primer on coping with anxiety. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 28, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-30637-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle...
Making things is difficult work. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.
First comes anticipation. The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage. The narration has a breezy tone: “[S]he makes things all the time. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments; the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and—spoiler alert—a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant.
Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-55453-704-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: Feb. 25, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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