Review by New York Times Review
With refreshing realism, this colorful picture book takes a child's-eye view of going to preschool for the first time: the frame is filled with new teachers and classmates, the teachers looking especially upbeat. The speaker endures a few bumps (another boy "got mad and knocked all my blocks down"), but he's confident and matter-of-fact: "I don't know why Melissa cries every time she says goodbye to her mother. I don't. I love to come to preschool." The art, in handprinted monoprint, is bold, striking and handsome, while being suggestive of a child's carefree style. WALKING TO SCHOOL By Eve Bunting. Illustrated by Michael Dooling. Clarion. $16. (Ages 4 to 8) This is a different kind of school story, about a girl facing her second day of school in Northern Ireland: "But maybe the Protestants won't be there today, lying in wait for us." Dooling's oil paintings give amazing individuality to dozens of faces-Allison's Catholic family, angry adults, two girls who bridge the divide. The choice of story is puzzling in some ways, though: it's set before the peace accords, raising the question of what the situation might be now. DREAM GIRL By Lauren Mechling. Delacorte. $15.99. (Ages 12 and up) Claire Voyante, high school sophomore, has a curious talent for seeing into the future but no control over it. She can see a person or object that will turn out to be significant; the question is what to do about what she sees. A gift from her theatrical grandmother, a cameo pendant, is a "good luck charm" that turns out to be anything but. "When I wore that necklace ... all my dreams started to come true," her grandmother tells her. In Claire's case that means confused and ominous hints from the future that hardly make adjusting to a new school any easier. THE PET DRAGON Written and illustrated by Cristoph Niemann. Greenwillow/HarperCollins. $17.89. (Ages 4 to 8) A trip to China inspired this playful homage to the Chinese language: talcing off from ideograms for "person" and "small," Niemann imagines an adventure for a girl and her dragon, doing the utmost with the swoops and tilted uprights of some of the thousands of characters an educated Chinese reader commonly knows. Even this brief introduction to a vastly different language (watch "tree" become "woods" become "forest") is an eye-opener. BATS AT THE UBRARY Written and illustrated by Brian lies. Houghton Mifflin. $16. (Ages 4 to 8) Lies follows up his "Bats at the Beach" with another tale of bat mischief - "We've feasted, fluttered, swooped and soared, and yet... we're still a little bored." A window left open to the night air at the local library provides just the distraction: not only the water fountain for splashing in, but the shelves lined with tomes. A lively book discussion group even meets under a reading lamp (one bat wears a pincenez). The rhyme scheme is not the smoothest ("Please keep it down -you must behave! This library is not your cave!"), but it doesn't matter; the charm is all in the story itself. CYCLER By Lauren McLaughlin. Random House. $17.99. (Ages 14 and up) The striking jacket of this oddball first novel says it all: the girl on the front cover becomes an almost identical-looking boy on the back. Only her parents know that four days a month, Jill turns into a boy (who's named himself "Jack," naturally). Her classmates think she's off getting a transfusion for a rare disease, while really she's got a lot of maintenance work to do - all that shaving, for one thing. The narrative toggles back and forth between Jill's and Jack's points of view, comically detailing the problems you can get into when you're half boy and half girl, including what happens when the boy falls for the girl's best friend. JULIE JUST
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [October 27, 2009]
Review by Booklist Review
Fred talks about why he loves preschool, and Rockwell's bright artwork shows what fun he has there, from the first moments, when he puts his backpack and vest in his cubby with his name and the teacher says, Good morning. He plays at the water table, tells a story in circle time about how a raccoon tipped over the garbage in his yard, zooms trucks with another kid, enjoys his snack, sings with the music teacher, and more. It's not all idyllic: one child cries when her mother leaves; another gets mad and knocks down all of Fred's bricks; then the teacher has the boy say sorry, and the two friends play together outside. The pictures have the texture and look of a child's artwork, set against lots of white space, and the close-up scenarios make this lots of fun for group sharing or one-on-one.--Rochman, Hazel Copyright 2008 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-Using colorful inks and traditional Japanese woodblock printing, Rockwell follows a boy through his day as he enjoys all the activities associated with preschool. From playtime to music, snack, art, and even yoga, the colorful monoprints convey the youngster's emotions as he experiences each activity and interacts with his classmates. This book may be shared individually or with a group; the detail and realistic depiction of the preschool experience will help to calm some newcomers' trepidations about attending school for the first time.-G. Alyssa Parkinson, Highland Township Library, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An ebullient little boy describes his day, expertly guiding readers through all aspects of preschool life. The chatty text carefully includes the more challenging moments, such as children crying for their moms and scuffles over toys, as well as the happier events: circle-time sharing, sand-table play, a visit from the music teacher and the always-popular snack time. In a wry reflection of modern life, the now de rigueur yoga session for preschoolers takes its place in the schedule. The hand-printed illustrations are filled with intriguing textures and vivid colors, the soft edges of the images adding to the overall coziness of the day. Here Rockwell does what she does best--demystifying a common childhood experience and placing it in terms that are comforting and inspiring for young children. Readers who are reluctant about this milestone as well as those who are eagerly anticipating it will find a welcome resource in this brightly illustrated tale. (Picture book. 2-5) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
