A sweet and sincere primer on how to be a friend.
An insect bravely journeys to keep a fledgling friendship alive in this British import.
A small, horned beetle lives on the ledge of a big rock. A caterpillar arrives “out of nowhere,” and the two become friends. The beetle, who narrates, wakes up one morning to find its new friend gone, unaware that she now hangs just below the ledge in a fresh chrysalis. Grabbing a pair of binoculars, the beetle mistakes some faraway mushrooms for the caterpillar and bravely treks across the forest to find her—only to discover she isn’t there. But then a butterfly arrives, and the beetle eventually recognizes its dear friend. The palette, primarily soft, textured grays, includes pops of red for the caterpillar and mushrooms, and the compositions are clean and uncluttered. The beetle is an endearing protagonist, overcoming fears to find the new friend: “The truth is, sometimes…I don’t feel very strong at all.” There’s also humor in an impromptu song the beetle composes while traveling, all in an attempt to muster up some bravery—not to mention in the visual of the small beetle trekking across the forest with a basket on its back. The beetle’s acceptance of the butterfly is genuinely touching. Her outward appearance—in effect, her identity—may have changed, but “it was my friend all the same.” (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 75% of actual size.)
A sweet and sincere primer on how to be a friend. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 9, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-8100-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2021
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
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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