The New Kid Has Fleas

May 15, 2021
A story intended to encourage warm welcomes to newcomers. Dyckman is no longer a newcomer to picture books, but she uses her dedication to thank those who helped her when she was. Unfortunately, the latest offering from this picture-book veteran falls short of delivering a satisfying story due to the cartoon-style illustrations' literal interpretation of the text. The first-person narration follows an elementary-age student who regards a new kid in class with some trepidation. She has curly, red hair and light skin (like the narrator's), and her behavior seems downright animalistic in the illustrations. The other kids in the diverse classroom ostracize her, with one child echoing the title to say she has fleas. The narrator is concerned when the teacher pairs them for a project, and here's where the interaction between art and text goes seriously awry. The narrator goes home with the girl only to end up at a cave and find out that she is a feral child raised by wolves. Yes, this explains her behavior in the art, but any real-world application of the bighearted message of the story is derailed by this odd turn of events even though the narrator enjoys the time spent with her and they seem to be friends by the book's end. This new book has flaws. (Picture book. 4-6)

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May 21, 2021
Preschool-Grade 2 Kiki, the new girl at school, is a little . . . different. Her shadow looks like a wolf's. She howls instead of singing, and she chases squirrels at lunchtime. Molly, a classmate, claims that Kiki has fleas. Still, when the boy narrating this story is assigned to be her partner in a science project on phases of the moon, he visits her home, a woodland cave where she lives with her adoptive parents and six little siblings: all wolves. He loves playing with the six wolf pups and being with Kiki, who is knowledgeable, fun, and funny. She does not have fleas. He decides to tell Molly so, but the next day, she's at home, (rumor has it) dealing with lice. While plenty of children's books are written from the new kid's perspective, this picture book takes a friendly classmate's point of view as he tries to imagine himself in her shoes, while ruefully noting that she's often not wearing any. The vibrant, digital illustrations capture the tone and wit of the narrative. A lively read-aloud choice.

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June 28, 2021
Like other classmates, this picture book’s narrator, a white child with brown hair, doesn’t go out of the way to welcome the New Kid, a red-haired girl who eschews shoes, casts a canine shadow, and howls during music class. Soon, the class mean girl declares that the New Kid has fleas. “Nobody really talks to the New Kid. But she doesn’t care,” reads the text as the student sits alone during recess. “Well, I don’t think she does.” When the narrator and the New Kid are thrown together as science project buddies, it becomes clear that the latter is literally being raised by wolves. But while her family may seem different (their study break snack is roasted squirrel, freshly caught), they’re also warm and welcoming, and the New Kid proves a smart, funny partner without “a single flea.” Kaban’s digitally painted, closely observed cartoons of kid life and Dyckman’s deadpan narration combine to deftly address important issues of prejudice and giving the unfamiliar a chance. Ages 3–6.

August 1, 2021

PreS-Gr 2-We can't be friends with the new kid-can we? The age-old tale of assumptions and exclusion is taken on with a fresh twist in Dyckman and Kaban's wonderful new title. The new kid doesn't seem to mind being different. Right from the first pages readers will get the impression that the new kid might have been raised by wolves. Her shadow is that of a wolf, she hunts squirrels for lunch, and howls during music class. No one will talk to her but the narrator of the story, a young boy who notices the new kid sitting alone and perhaps even looking sad. He doesn't take any action until he is assigned to be her partner for a science project. He goes to her house after school where his fears are realized. She is indeed being raised by a family of wolves-and they are AWESOME! Once the boy meets all of her wolf brothers and sisters, he relaxes and appreciates the differences in her family and lifestyle. Perfectly pitched language combined with comic and smart illustrations will fully engage the intended audience. This title could also be useful for a lesson about making assumptions and looking at situations from different perspectives. VERDICT This title adeptly opens up several types of much-needed conversations, making it useful not only at the start of the year but whenever a new student is going to join the class.-John Scott, formerly at Friends Sch. of Baltimore

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