bookshelf

APPLE PIE PICNIC

Name: APPLE PIE PICNIC
Author: Alicia Duran
ISBN: 978-1-63655-061-9

by Alicia Duran ; illustrated by Brian Fitzgerald ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 21, 2023

A charming slice of cheer.

bookshelf

In this cumulative tale, an apple tree that stands near the house where Rosa lives marks the passing of seasons and the flitting of critters.

Amid a wide patch of grass sits the apple tree, or el manzano, receiving the sun near a squat home adorned with a red roof. The rain, or la lluvia, sustains the tree, and the birds, or los pájaros, piece together a nest in the tree. Rosa’s cat, Dulce, and dog, Churro, cause mischief around the apple tree while bees pollinate the blossoms, which will bloom into small apples that will cling “from branch to branch.” Establishing a deliberate pace from the first line and writing in verse similar to “The House That Jack Built,” Duran chronicles the journey of an apple from flower to fruit with a modest dose of critter-based humor. The author scatters one-word, italicized Spanish translations of key words throughout that prove to be occasional distractions. Fitzgerald’s scruffy artwork replicates the precise rustic sensibility evoked by the text. Lush greens, dabs of oranges and reds, and glimpses of earthy browns combine into portraits of rural serenity. When the apples appear ready to be plucked from the apple tree, Rosa and her family, depicted in varying shades of brown and cued as Latine, gather to bake an apple pie for a picnic that everyone can join. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A charming slice of cheer. (translation of Spanish words, recipe for applesauce) (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 21, 2023

ISBN: 978-1-63655-061-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Red Comet Press

Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

bookshelf

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...

bookshelf

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
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- 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

bookshelf

THE CRAYONS GO BACK TO SCHOOL

by Drew Daywalt ; illustrated by Oliver Jeffers ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 16, 2023

Nothing new here but a nonetheless congenial matriculant in publishing’s autumnal rite of back-to-school offerings.

bookshelf

The Crayons head back to class in this latest series entry.

Daywalt’s expository text lays out the basics as various Crayons wave goodbye to the beach, choose a first-day outfit, greet old friends, and make new ones. As in previous outings, the perennially droll illustrations and hand-lettered Crayon-speak drive the humor. The ever wrapperless Peach, opining, “What am I going to wear?” surveys three options: top hat and tails, a chef’s toque and apron, and a Santa suit. New friends Chunky Toddler Crayon (who’s missing a bite-sized bit of their blue point) and Husky Toddler Crayon speculate excitedly on their common last name: “I wonder if we’re related!” White Crayon, all but disappearing against the page’s copious white space, sits cross-legged reading a copy of H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man. And Yellow and Orange, notable for their previous existential argument about the color of the sun, find agreement in science class: Jupiter, clearly, is yellow AND orange. Everybody’s excited about art class—“Even if they make a mess. Actually…ESPECIALLY if they make a mess!” Here, a spread of crayoned doodles of butterflies, hearts, and stars is followed by one with fulsome scribbles. Fans of previous outings will spot cameos from Glow in the Dark and yellow-caped Esteban (the Crayon formerly known as Pea Green). (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Nothing new here but a nonetheless congenial matriculant in publishing’s autumnal rite of back-to-school offerings. (Picture book. 4-6)