erinj254's review against another edition
3.0
Cute story. Need to remember this one for next year when my little one is the someone new at school.
laurenpedersen's review against another edition
5.0
What a wonderful book! I love that even though Jitterbug was wrong to send away “the someone new” he listened to his friends, changed and welcomed Pudding. “Because kindness is stronger than fear. (And sometimes it takes very special friends to be brave enough to tell you you are wrong.)”
msgabbythelibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
What a delightful book! As someone who struggles with new things and their implications (especially if people will still care about you), I found this book very easy to relate to. And the concept of ALL of us being new at one time or other is timely and important.
I love each and every one of the characters and their names. I mean "Toast the Butterfly" and "Jitterbug the Chipmunk" and "Pudding the Snail." I could even start to come up with those!
I want to know how young ones will react to this story!
I love each and every one of the characters and their names. I mean "Toast the Butterfly" and "Jitterbug the Chipmunk" and "Pudding the Snail." I could even start to come up with those!
I want to know how young ones will react to this story!
theybedax's review against another edition
5.0
The art is gorgeous and the sweet adorably anxious chipmunk makes for a truly great story of overcoming obstacles even when it's our own anxiety.
rigbymel76's review against another edition
5.0
A delightful new picture book by the author/illustrator team who brought us "A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo."
Adorable and marvelously detailed illustrations go beautifully with the clever text and make a great case for kindness over fear when dealing with new things/people.
Highly recommended!
Adorable and marvelously detailed illustrations go beautifully with the clever text and make a great case for kindness over fear when dealing with new things/people.
Highly recommended!
rainbowbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Perfect book to read when there is a new classmate in school. Also, the illustrations are stunning!
bookthia's review against another edition
5.0
A delightful story about fear of change, being the “new kid”, and kindness, told through some wonderful animal characters. This book reminded me of the Franklin series, with more original names for the creatures. A great read-aloud for kids with anxiety about changes or for “new kid” situations.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
5.0
This book is a little less directly political than Marlon Bundo. There is no Orange Skull or Pence figure. But there the title and plot suggest a look at immigration but it can equally be applied to being the new kid in school.
Jitterbug, the chipmunk, is nervous when a new animal arrives in the forest. That would be Pudding the Snail (who seems to be moving because of climate change). Jitterbug's friends point out some things and learning ensues.
The illustrations are lovely. There are little things hidden in the pictures and even some of the wording. It was fun.
Jitterbug, the chipmunk, is nervous when a new animal arrives in the forest. That would be Pudding the Snail (who seems to be moving because of climate change). Jitterbug's friends point out some things and learning ensues.
The illustrations are lovely. There are little things hidden in the pictures and even some of the wording. It was fun.
k_gregz's review against another edition
5.0
This book is an allegory for welcoming immigrants into our communities, so of course I like the message, but I also appreciate that the book shows the main character changing her mind after her initial rejection of the strange snail. It models that sometimes being a good friend means challenging your friends when they are wrong and that we can change our minds after receiving more information. As an added plus, the watercolor illustrations are nice and the different speaking inflections make it easy to pick up a new voice for each character to make the story a bit more engaging while reading aloud.
adelas's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic book that can help kids out all ages understand and emphasize with "the new kid", whether that is a new neighbor, a new student in their class, or refugee immigrants. The pictures are endearing and really bring the story to life, but the writing itself has the rare quality of being written so that it resonates with the reader of any age, from preschool to adult, without being too mature for the little ones or too childish for older readers to stomach.
Instant favorite.
Instant favorite.