A fresh and charming take on “growing a voice.” This “no” book is a big yes.
Learn the power and potential of the word no.
Many picture books extol the virtues of yes. Take that bath! Eat those veggies! But here, Kirwan takes a more nuanced view by savvily recasting proclamations of no into empowering statements. Set against crisp white backgrounds, the loose, sketchy, digitally created vignettes show a variety of relatable scenarios, while bold outlining provides eye-catching contrast. A cast of whimsical and diverse cartoon-style children have vibrant, expressive faces that show readers how it’s gonna go. Sometimes that friend with the oversized cymbals deserves that “Loud no.” There’s a regretful “no” over a ruined kite. A “small no” after a run-in with a cactus. Evocatively shaped and sized speech bubbles help communicate mood and tone. Some pages speak to caregivers—who hasn’t experienced the “hangry no” supermarket slump? Others will tickle children and adults alike, like a scene in which a feisty child streaks naked from the bathtub. Some “no”s are personal, like rejecting a gnarly pair of striped pants, while others, like a group of kiddos with protest signs, are a “very important no.” By reminding readers that saying no isn’t automatically negative but rather “part of growing” and developing self and autonomy, Kirwan showcases an oft-overlooked step in “learning how to be a big kid.” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A fresh and charming take on “growing a voice.” This “no” book is a big yes. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: April 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781665932417
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
Sure to have little ones giggling.
Jacques is a hedgehog with a big secret: “I wear real, bona fide underwear.”
Our narrator received a mysterious package one day; an illustration shows a pair of underwear tied to a balloon with a note “from the Universe” floating down into Jacques’ burrow. Hedgehogs don’t wear underwear, however. Will Jacques be shunned? Jacques worries but comes to a decision: “I have to wear them. When I do I feel special.” Determined, Jacques, who’s been invited to a party, makes a dramatic entrance, with undies in hand. Jacques’ declaration (“I WEAR UNDERWEAR”) is met with remarks of dismay, before another hedgehog opens up about similar fears and shows off a pair of cowboy boots. More hedgehogs introduce themselves with their own confessions. The story ends with Jacques unveiling a painting of the underwear in a gallery filled with hedgehogs wearing all sorts of attire. Though the book is simple in plot, characters, and setting, it wins in its balance of bathroom humor, dramatic storytelling, and celebrations of individual expression. French words are peppered throughout, adding to the fun without detracting from the story for those unfamiliar with the language. The cartoonish illustrations brim with fun; Valdez relies heavily on geometric shapes (triangle noses for the hedgehogs; huge circles for their eyes). Details such as speech bubbles and recurring turtle and snake characters contribute to the outlandish humor.
Sure to have little ones giggling. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781250814388
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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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
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