An affirming, if somewhat moralizing tale of self-acceptance strengthened by a lovable aesthetic.
A vampire struggles with a secret insecurity.
Vladislav Varnaby Roland Dragul is proud of his gothic vampire heritage and displays it through his sophisticated black fashions. He has a secret, though: Behind his tall-collared capes, he hides rosy pink cheeks most unbecoming for the undead. As a fashionista, he’s able to lean into his hobby to disguise his insecurity but is uncomfortable concealing his truth. Just when he’s ready to lead a life of seclusion, his best friend and fellow vampire, Shelley, has a mishap that reveals a shockingly bright physical trait of her own, prompting Vlad to confess his secret. With a newly strengthened friendship, the two venture out of the Dark Woods for Shelley to share another secret. The muted palette transforms as they enter a vibrant town populated by paranormal people who embrace colors (including several people in huge Dia de los Muertos sugar skull costumes). The message of celebrating differences is solid, if heavy-handed; that the text is spare keeps the didacticism from weighing down the story too much. The prose allows the charming, expressive cartoon art free rein in creating a world with a Halloween goth look. Vlad has pale blue skin and a child-friendly, Nosferatu-style look. Shelley has pale green skin. Other background characters run the gamut in skin color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An affirming, if somewhat moralizing tale of self-acceptance strengthened by a lovable aesthetic. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9781536233322
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A solid if message-driven conversation starter about the hard parts of learning.
Children realize their dreams one step at a time in this story about growth mindset.
A child crashes and damages a new bicycle on a dark, rainy day. Attempting a wheelie, the novice cyclist falls onto the sidewalk, grimacing, and, having internalized this setback as failure, vows to never ride again but to “walk…forever.” Then the unnamed protagonist happens upon a glowing orb in the forest, a “thought rearranger-er”—a luminous pink fairy called the Magical Yet. This Yet reminds the child of past accomplishments and encourages perseverance. The second-person rhyming couplets remind readers that mistakes are part of learning and that with patience and effort, children can achieve. Readers see the protagonist learn to ride the bike before a flash-forward shows the child as a capable college graduate confidently designing a sleek new bike. This book shines with diversity: racial, ethnic, ability, and gender. The gender-indeterminate protagonist has light brown skin and exuberant curly locks; Amid the bustling secondary cast, one child uses a prosthesis, and another wears hijab. At no point in the text is the Yet defined as a metaphor for a growth mindset; adults reading with younger children will likely need to clarify this abstract lesson. The artwork is powerful and detailed—pay special attention to the endpapers that progress to show the Yet at work.
A solid if message-driven conversation starter about the hard parts of learning. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-368-02562-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion/LBYR
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2020
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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