A gentle, understated story that invites reflection.
First published in Australia in 2008, the story of a fox who successfully makes a life in the city.
The fox goes by the name of Clive Prendergast and leads a quiet, understated life. He fits in by using a name that can be pronounced (only foxes can say his real name) and being “quick-witted…and able to eat a variety of foods.” By day, he works on an assembly line. By night, he explores the city and enjoys the “interesting goings-on.” He has one or two friends; the one he sees the most is Humphrey, a donkey. Humphrey often has no fixed address and has difficulty keeping a job. Riddle describes the friendship between Clive and Humphrey as one of tranquil acceptance. One day, Humphrey invites Clive to the premiere of the play Nobody Owns the Moon. After a wonderful evening out, the friends agree, “This is our town!” and they part with a big hug. There is a lovely gentleness to the whole narration that readers will find very appealing. Riddle’s artwork weaves together painting and drawings with collage, often incorporating photographs; evident in the illustrations but unremarked in the text, Clive and Humphrey are the only animals in the city mostly inhabited by White humans. Respectful of children’s intelligence, the book presents topics such as friendship, acceptance, belonging, and otherness that will challenge them to think further.
A gentle, understated story that invites reflection. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-9943841-9-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Berbay Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2021
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note.
Little Honey Bunny Funnybunny loves baseball almost as much as she loves her big brother P.J.—though it’s a close-run thing.
Readers familiar with the pranks P.J. plays on his younger sibling in older episodes of the series (most illustrated by Roger Bollen) will be amused—and perhaps a little confused—to see him in the role of perfect big brother after meeting his swaddled little sister for the first time in mama’s lap. But here, along with being a constant companion and “always happy to see her,” he cements his heroic status in her eyes by hitting a home run for his baseball team and then patiently teaching her how to play T-ball. After carefully coaching her and leading her through warm-up exercises, he even sits in the stands, loudly cheering her on as she scores the winning run in her own very first game. “‘You are the best brother a bunny could ever have!’” she burbles. This tale’s a tad blander compared with others centered on P.J. and his sister, but it’s undeniably cheery, with text well structured for burgeoning readers. The all-smiles animal cast in Bowers’ cartoon art features a large and diversely hued family of bunnies sporting immense floppy ears as well as a multispecies crowd of furry onlookers equally varied of color, with one spectator in a wheelchair.
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9798217032464
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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BOOK REVIEW
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