THE RIGHT ONE FOR RODERIC

Name: THE RIGHT ONE FOR RODERIC
Author: Violeta Noy
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0572-5

by Violeta Noy ; illustrated by Violeta Noy ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 9, 2019

Though the message is nothing new, the moments of humor and emotional resonance in this brave little ghost’s story make this...

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The smallest ghost in the family yearns to be noticed.

Little Roderic feels small and overlooked by his family. Wanting to be seen, he decides to try changing his appearance. On top of his standard white sheet, he adds a hat…and then another and another. But that doesn’t work out. Nor does a scarf. He tries taking off his white sheet (revealing his green, ectoplasmic essence) and changing his entire wardrobe, but that doesn’t go over well with the family. “Ghosts just don’t dress like that,” his elders say. He tries going to the city, where perhaps people will notice and appreciate his fashion. But “they [don’t] even see him.” So he returns home, where he has been missed, and the family drapes him in another white sheet, but he doesn’t settle for that. Roderic finally happens upon an outfit that feels just right, and he tells his family, “I am going to be different!!” Not only is he accepted, but his family is inspired to experiment too. The simple digital illustrations effectively use color and composition to set the endearing protagonist against unwelcoming crowds, including the city’s multihued sea of people, and to highlight his mostly lonesome journey.

Though the message is nothing new, the moments of humor and emotional resonance in this brave little ghost’s story make this one worth a read. (Picture book. 3-8)

Pub Date: July 9, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-5362-0572-5

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Templar/Candlewick

Review Posted Online: April 13, 2019

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2019

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

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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
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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THE BIG CHEESE

From the Food Group series

by Jory John ; illustrated by Pete Oswald ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 2023

From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers.

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A winning wheel of cheddar with braggadocio to match narrates a tale of comeuppance and redemption.

From humble beginnings among kitchen curds living “quiet lives of pasteurization,” the Big Cheese longs to be the best and builds success and renown based on proven skills and dependable results: “I stuck to the things I was good at.” When newcomer Wedge moves to the village of Curds-on-Whey, the Cheese’s star status wobbles and falls. Turns out that quiet, modest Wedge is also multitalented. At the annual Cheese-cathlon, Wedge bests six-time winner Cheese in every event, from the footrace and chess to hat making and bread buttering. A disappointed Cheese throws a full-blown tantrum before arriving at a moment of truth: Self-calming, conscious breathing permits deep relief that losing—even badly—does not result in disaster. A debrief with Wedge “that wasn’t all about me” leads to further realizations: Losing builds empathy for others; obsession with winning obscures “the joy of participating.” The chastened cheddar learns to reserve bragging for lifting up friends, because anyone can be the Big Cheese. More didactic and less pun-rich than previous entries in the Food Group series, this outing nevertheless couples a cheerful refrain with pithy life lessons that hit home. Oswald’s detailed, comical illustrations continue to provide laughs, including a spot with Cheese onstage doing a “CHED” talk.

From curds to riches, from meltdown to uplift—this multicourse romp delivers. (Picture book. 4-8)