A little sentimental but also a thoroughly satisfying solution to the issue of saying goodbye.
A favorite teacher prepares to leave her school in June, but her students don’t want to face that change.
Mrs. McBee resembles Ms. Frizzle: white; unusual clothes, including teal blue socks and two-toned loafers; curly red hair piled messily on her head; and original in her teaching style. Her students are every shade. Strong-willed, take-charge Jamaika, a black girl, quickly appoints herself teacher’s assistant when Mrs. McBee asks for volunteers to clean up the room. The other kids set to work packing, labeling, and carrying even though they are very sad. There is one holdout, shirking his tasks, as Jamaika keeps pointing out. William, a white boy, doesn’t help and even disappears, but there is a surprise in store. The custodian delivers a box addressed to Mrs. McBee. “A yellow hard hat popped up like a jack-in-the-box.” William appears with a sheaf of papers. He has created wonderful pictures of the year’s exciting activities and a card for everyone to sign. On that note, the teacher makes a speech and invites everyone for a “McBeehive hug” and ice cream cones, with swirls of chocolate and vanilla—like “sad and happy twisted together.” The deeply colored, acrylic-and-gouache full-bleed double-page spreads show lots of busy activity in a classroom that any child would like to join.
A little sentimental but also a thoroughly satisfying solution to the issue of saying goodbye. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-56145-944-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Feb. 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.
The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.
Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780063329560
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Accessible, reassuring and hopeful.
This endearing picture book about a timid boy who longs to belong has an agenda but delivers its message with great sensitivity.
Brian wants to join in but is overlooked, even ostracized, by his classmates. Readers first see him alone on the front endpapers, drawing in chalk on the ground. The school scenarios are uncomfortably familiar: High-maintenance children get the teacher’s attention; team captains choose kickball players by popularity and athletic ability; chatter about birthday parties indicates they are not inclusive events. Tender illustrations rendered in glowing hues capture Brian’s isolation deftly; compared to the others and his surroundings, he appears in black and white. What saves Brian is his creativity. As he draws, Brian imagines amazing stories, including a poignant one about a superhero with the power to make friends. When a new boy takes some ribbing, it is Brian who leaves an illustrated note to make him feel better. The boy does not forget this gesture. It only takes one person noticing Brian for the others to see his talents have value; that he has something to contribute. Brian’s colors pop. In the closing endpapers, Brian’s classmates are spread around him on the ground, “wearing” his chalk-drawn wings and capes. Use this to start a discussion: The author includes suggested questions and recommended reading lists for adults and children.
Accessible, reassuring and hopeful. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-582-46450-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2013
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