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THE NORTH WIND & THE SUN

Name: THE NORTH WIND & THE SUN
Author: Philip C. Stead
ISBN: 9780823455836

by Philip C. Stead ; illustrated by Philip C. Stead ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 24, 2023

Masterfully updated and impeccably rendered.

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The North Wind and the Sun face off in a retelling of one of Aesop’s fable.

Cued by a chill in the air, three brown-skinned sisters rise from their rockers in their little house. The sisters don beautifully patched and mended woolen coats. Each sister’s coat is a primary color: yellow, blue, and red—and colored lines on their white socks match. Outside, the Sun admires the sisters’ coats “with radiant joy” while the North Wind rages at the puny garments. Both forces of nature strive to pull the coats from the sisters’ backs. As the North Wind blows, the sisters huddle together with their black dog until it subsides. The Sun’s warmth then brings wild animals out of hiding. The coats soon become repurposed as picnic blankets—a clear sign of the contest’s victor. While many artists have retold this story, Stead has created something truly special. The original fable’s solo traveler has become three sisters, demonstrating a collective strength. The sisters’ colors also each symbolize something more: joy, sadness, and trouble/strife. Stead’s beautifully textured illustrations create a strong duality between the elements, with the North Wind’s frenetic lines in stark contrast to the Sun’s serene spirals. Several page turns play with the sense of scale and encourage readers to rotate the book. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Masterfully updated and impeccably rendered. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 24, 2023

ISBN: 9780823455836

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House

Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A POTION, A POWDER, A LITTLE BIT OF MAGIC
by Philip C. Stead ; illustrated by Philip C. Stead

- BOOK REVIEW
A SNOW DAY FOR AMOS MCGEE
by Philip C. Stead ; illustrated by Erin E. Stead

- BOOK REVIEW
SOMETIMES IT'S NICE TO BE ALONE
by Amy Hest ; illustrated by Philip C. Stead

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK LOST AND FOUND

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18, 2026

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.

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Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.

After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026

ISBN: 9780063436121

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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THE PUMPKIN THIEF

From the Leaf Thief series

by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 28, 2026

More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.

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Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.

Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.

More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)