Why do you need to go to the dentist if all your teeth are going to fall out anyway? No mom really has a good answer to that age-old question, but a little preventative maintenance never hurt anyone. Little Vera is faced with her first visit to the dentist along with her bigger sisters, and at least it means that she’s getting bigger! While her cowgirl skirt bolsters her sense of courage, nothing prepares her for the terror of . . . of . . . the dentist’s whirring tooth polisher. Vera bolts and everyone chases her around the block. But a little knowledge goes a long way, and she is convinced to return to the chair, and is rewarded with a set of bright, shiny teeth. Rosenberry’s fourth, funny installment of the Vera stories (Vera Runs Away, 2000, etc.) takes away the fear of the unknown of that first trip to the dentist. The gouache illustrations are detailed enough so that little children and their folks can pick out all the machines and other utensils they’ll see in the modern day dentists’ lair, er, office. Unlike Vera, they’ll know just what to expect and have the extra reward of another first-time adventure from the indefatigable heroine of this series. Now we know why God invented dental hygienists, seat belts, and tic-tac-toe. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: May 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-8050-6668-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2002
Give this child’s-eye view of a day at the beach with an attentive father high marks for coziness: “When your ball blows across the sand and into the ocean and starts to drift away, your daddy could say, Didn’t I tell you not to play too close to the waves? But he doesn’t. He wades out into the cold water. And he brings your ball back to the beach and plays roll and catch with you.” Alley depicts a moppet and her relaxed-looking dad (to all appearances a single parent) in informally drawn beach and domestic settings: playing together, snuggling up on the sofa and finally hugging each other goodnight. The third-person voice is a bit distancing, but it makes the togetherness less treacly, and Dad’s mix of love and competence is less insulting, to parents and children both, than Douglas Wood’s What Dads Can’t Do (2000), illus by Doug Cushman. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: May 23, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-00361-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2005
Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient.
How do you make a new friend when an old one moves away?
Buddy (from Sorry, Grown-Ups, You Can’t Go to School, 2019, etc.) is feeling lonely. His best friend just moved across town. To make matters worse, there is a field trip coming up, and Buddy needs a bus partner. His sister, Lady, has some helpful advice for making a new pal: “You just need to find something you have in common.” Buddy loves the game Robo Chargers and karate. Surely there is someone else who does, too! Unfortunately, there isn’t. However, when a new student arrives (one day later) and asks everyone to call her Sunny instead of Alison, Buddy gets excited. No one uses his given name, either; they just call him Buddy. He secretly whispers his “real, official name” to Sunny at lunch—an indication that a true friendship is being formed. The rest of the story plods merrily along, all pieces falling exactly into place (she even likes Robo Chargers!), accompanied by Bowers’ digital art, a mix of spot art and full-bleed illustrations. Friendship-building can be an emotionally charged event in a child’s life—young readers will certainly see themselves in Buddy’s plight—but, alas, there is not much storytelling magic to be found. Buddy and his family are White, Sunny and Mr. Teacher are Black, and Buddy’s other classmates are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Making friends isn’t always this easy and convenient. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-30709-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
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