Kyle’s First Playdate

by: Leah Orr; Illustrated by Josephine Lepore

Published by: Author House

Reviewed by Jamie Driggers

Kyle has a beautiful friend in his kindergarten class named Ashley Elizabeth whom he adores. When he is invited over to her house for a playdate, he is so excited. What he doesn’t know is that Ashley Elizabeth has two sisters who will encourage all sorts of things Kyle would never dream up. The ensuing playdate is full of adventurous times.

Kyle’s First Playdate does a little teaching about time as Kyle progresses hourly through his day from playing dress-up to going fishing. It also introduces children to the words, cystic fibrosis, though it doesn’t go into depth of what having the disease entails (except a nebulizer). The illustrations are bright and lively and complement the text well.

This is a sweet book, though it honestly didn’t ring very true to this mother of boys. I suppose that there are boys like Kyle out there, but mine would have been convincing Ashley and her sisters to play in the mud rather than allowing them to dress him in princess clothes—even if he was outnumbered! And they never consider whom they plan to marry someday. However, the lively day these children had, and the sensitivity with which cystic fibrosis is addressed, makes it a worthwhile read–especially if you have girls.

Armchair Interviews says: All about a fun playdate.

Author’s Web site: http://www.KylesFirstPlaydate.com