An animal tale with pleasant visuals and heartfelt encouragement for children to follow their dreams.
In this debut picture book, an elephant refuses to let the opinions of others discourage her passion for creating art.
Inspired by Ruby, the real-life Phoenix Zoo elephant who painted abstract artworks after being supplied with materials, Hart reframes the story with a message for children: Believe in yourself. This tale’s Ruby knows what she wants to do—create art—and she won’t be limited by the expectations of others. Snooty passersby (a hawk, a snake, and a gazelle) tell her: “Elephants are not artists.” Ruby remains unfazed. And although the message would have had added resonance if the author had allowed Ruby to overcome a moment of self-doubt, she represents a model of unshakeable self-confidence and resistance to peer pressure. The text—a clear black font for the narrative, with lighter, idiosyncratic fonts identifying each speaker in the story—is set against artist Law’s cartoon-style, digital illustrations in serviceable outdoor settings (greens, browns, and blues predominate). While the diverse humans are awkwardly rendered, the gazelle adds an unexpected dash of visual drama, and Ruby is endearingly expressive. Ruby’s only wish: to create her designs in color and “share the beauty she sees with everyone.” Thanks to a kindly human zookeeper, Ruby is given the wherewithal to do just that. The author earnestly underscores the little elephant’s happiness by urging kids to think about and pursue, “like Ruby,” what they “love to do.”
An animal tale with pleasant visuals and heartfelt encouragement for children to follow their dreams.Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-958302-08-8
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Lawley Enterprises LLC
Review Posted Online: Oct. 3, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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
BOOK REVIEW
© 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.
