A sound lesson in empowerment and self-respect.
A pigeon learns how to stand up for herself.
Peggy the pigeon can’t catch a break. No matter where she perches, someone objects to her presence and shoos her away. Peggy invariably apologizes and skedaddles, convinced she’s done wrong. Then, Peggy meets a seagull named Joan, who explains that she’s been watching Peggy and has carefully noted her ever contrite behavior. Joan points out that Peggy was victimized and further counsels her to stop saying “sorry” when she isn’t wrong. Joan advises skeptical, shy Peggy to stand up for herself by saying anything other than “sorry” when unjustly picked on. This is good—and hilarious—advice, as Peggy turns out to be quite the wordsmith. Next day, Joan is at Peggy’s side when the same bullies attempt to shoo her off “their” respective patches. Instead of saying “sorry,” Peggy manages—with Joan’s encouragement—to let rip blasts of nonsensical, uproarious comebacks that confuse and startle the bullies and send them packing. Readers will love this warm, funny, reassuring U.K. import about standing up to bullies and taking back one’s own space. Uttering ridiculous, unexpected remarks—as Peggy does—actually isn’t a bad way to completely disarm a tormentor. Kids will howl at Peggy’s snappy retorts and will enjoy volunteering their own wildly silly phrases. The lively illustrations move the story along briskly; Peggy and Joan are feisty, well-realized characters. Humans are racially diverse.
A sound lesson in empowerment and self-respect. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781499815948
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
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