Readers will empathize with this pig and hopefully learn to not give up.
Thirteen is a natural problem-solver, which is handy since his mom’s got only 12 teats.
Thirteen is a pink-speckled pig who resembles his siblings save for the patch over one eye and the star-shaped spot on his side. When he comes upon a problem, he puzzles out a solution, because even though he’s small, he believes he can be helpful, as when he rescues a child’s ball from a muddy puddle. But when it comes to his own problem, the solution isn’t so easy. His 12 siblings won’t budge, and his mother snores on despite his plaintive cries. Shedding a few tears makes him feel better, but he can’t get discouraged. A lesson in sharing (or not!) comes from a calf. The rescued ball proves just the distraction he needs to get his mother all to himself. The final wordless page shows all the animals bedded down for the night, a rather forlorn Thirteen left out of the shelter awake. The text is a bit stilted: “Thirteen feels that happiness makes you want to sing. But not yet. Later. Now, he has to fill his tummy.” The green grass and tan and brown of the farmyard background the illustrations of the adorable piglets, and the antics of the chicks and their exasperated mother will make observant kids (and their parents) chuckle. Thirteen’s star helps readers pick him out, though it has a tendency to move around. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Readers will empathize with this pig and hopefully learn to not give up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-990252-15-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Milky Way Picture Books
Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree.
A Christmas edition of the beloved alphabet book.
The story starts off nearly identically to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989), written by John Archambault and the late Bill Martin Jr, with the letters A, B, and C deciding to meet in the branches of a tree. This time, they’re attempting to scale a Christmas tree, not a coconut tree, and the letters are strung together like garland. A, B, and C are joined by the other letters, and of course they all “slip, slop, topple, plop!” right down the tree. At the bottom, they discover an assortment of gifts, all in a variety of shapes. As a team, the letters and presents organize themselves to get back up on the Christmas tree and get a star to the top. Holiday iterations of favorite tales often fall flat, but this take succeeds. The gifts are an easy way to reinforce another preschool concept—shapes—and the text uses just enough of the original to be familiar. The rhyming works, sticking to the cadence of the source material. The illustrations pay homage to the late Lois Ehlert’s, featuring the same bold block letters, though they lack some of the whimsy and personality of the original. Otherwise, everything is similarly brightly colored and simply drawn. Those familiar with the classic will be drawn to this one, but newcomers can enjoy it on its own.
A successful swap from coconut tree to Christmas tree. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781665954761
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
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