Charming illustrations and an easy-to-follow story will engage the youngest of readers.
A fearful dog finds companionship with a newfound canine friend in Harper’s picture book.
Mack is a gentle giant of a dog whose towering stature contrasts with his internal struggles; despite his imposing size, Mack suffers from anxiety. When Mack’s owner introduces him to Gertie, a spunky and much smaller (and fearless) companion, Gertie teaches Mack her tried-and-true method for facing anxiety: counting to 10 while breathing deeply. There’s a catchy rhyme that goes with the process, which young readers might like to try for themselves (“Remember, 1-2-3, a deep breath for me, / 4-5-6, blow it out like candlesticks, / 7-8-9, everything will be fine, / When I get to 10, I do it again”). With Gertie’s help, Mack learns to confront his fears. In direct, easy-to-follow language, the book teaches important lessons about the transformative power of friendship and the importance of finding courage in the face of fear. (And the empathy displayed by Harper’s pooches sounds a reassuring note throughout.) Calv brings Mack and Gertie to vivid life through his deceptively simple full-color illustrations—even without the text, young readers will likely be able to determine what Mack and Gertie are feeling, thanks to the telling looks on their faces. The calming colors—browns and deep reds as opposed to brighter hues—emphasize the sense of calm that Mack is looking for.
Charming illustrations and an easy-to-follow story will engage the youngest of readers.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9798988363644
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Cannoli & Co. Books
Review Posted Online: April 26, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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