A stunning reminder that we all have the power to make the world a better place.
How can one small child make a difference?
In this poetic reflection, Spiro and Tentler-Krylov shed light on “tikkun olam,” a Hebrew phrase meaning “repair the world” or “make right.” A “spark that lights your heart” turns into an idea, which becomes an action, which snowballs by inspiring people to act together. We’re all interconnected, after all, yet we each have agency. Readers are reminded that they should be motivated not by gratitude or praise, but by the desire to improve the world. Above all, children are reassured that while effecting change isn’t always easy, it’s possible through collaboration, creativity, and practice. The illustrations helpfully ground the concepts presented in the text, depicting a light-skinned, dark-haired child who finds a broken swing in a neglected park. By choosing to fix it—with some help—the child sparks a citywide cleanup effort. The artwork is spectacular. Each good deed is represented by a swirling, bird-filled plume of color. As more acts of kindness and community accumulate, the sparks swirl together to transform a drab world into a joyful riot of color. The residents of this supportive urban neighborhood are diverse in terms of age and ability. In an author’s note, Spiro discusses the significance of tikkun olam within Judaism but explains that other cultures have similar teachings and ideas.
A stunning reminder that we all have the power to make the world a better place. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9780399186318
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
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)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026
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