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 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 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. Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol. Spires’ understanding of the fragility and power of the artistic impulse mixes with expert pacing and subtle characterization for maximum delight. A fresh perspective brings renewed enthusiasm and-spoiler alert-a most magnificent scooter sidecar for a loyal assistant. When the dog, whose expressions have humorously mirrored his owner’s through each phase, retrieves his leash, the resulting stroll serves them well. Explosive emotions are followed by defeat, portrayed with a small font and scaled-down figures. A model of persistence, she tries many adjustments the vocabulary alone offers constructive behaviors: she “tinkers,” “wrenches,” “fiddles,” “examines,” “stares” and “tweaks.” Such hard work, however, combines with disappointing results, eventually leading to frustration, anger and injury. When the first piece doesn’t turn out as desired, the protagonist tries again, hoping to achieve magnificence. Intermittent blue-gray panels break up the white expanses on selected pages showing sequential actions. Easy-peasy!” The colorful caricatures and creations contrast with the digital black outlines on a white background that depict an urban neighborhood. The narration has a breezy tone: “he makes things all the time.
Accompanied by her trusty canine companion, she begins drawing plans and building an assemblage.
The artist/engineer is spotted jauntily pulling a wagonload of junkyard treasures. Readers will recognize the stages of this young heroine’s experience as she struggles to realize her vision.įirst comes anticipation.
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