A read-aloud as sharp and stylish as a fresh cut.
Mom’s got to work this Saturday, so she drops the young narrator off at the neighborhood barbershop.
The child takes in all that this hallowed institution of Black American identity has to offer. Making strong use of light and color, digitally rendered illustrations reminiscent of vibrant oil paints depict people with a wide array of brown complexions at the ’Shop. Artwork bedecks the walls, a basketball game plays on the elevated TVs, people bob their heads to the music, and laughter fills the air. Each Saturday morning, the ’Shop serves a variety of purposes: It’s a classroom focused on Black leadership, a place to hear “the latest hip-hop gossip,” a store where hungry kids can find tasty snacks, and a playground where they can race around—“until Mr. Charles tells us to settle down.” Young and old, family and friends, gather at the barbershop to “hear the wisdom, / feel the joy, / and share the love.” Eventually our young narrator removes his cap and takes his turn in the chair, allowing a seasoned barber the opportunity to create another “walking [piece] of art.” This week’s visit ends with an image of mother and son reunited as they leave Mr. Charles’ shop, with enthusiastic waves goodbye and smiles on every face. Relying on repetition and alliteration, Jones has crafted a bouncy storytime tale and a tribute to the power of community.
A read-aloud as sharp and stylish as a fresh cut. (author’s note and illustrator’s notes) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781665940801
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
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
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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