A sensitive answer to a potentially insensitive and sadly common school exercise.
A school assignment to create a family tree and present it to the class causes anxiety in Emmylou—until the child comes to a new understanding of family.
Emmylou’s classmates’ trees seem to have branches on branches, but the youngster has just two: “Mama and me.” Tentatively, Emmylou broaches the subject with Mama, starting by asking, “What was my grandmother’s name?” Mama answers; then her “lips press together / tight / tight / tight” before offering one more tidbit: The recipe for the cake Mama is baking came from Emmylou’s grandmother. Listeners don’t learn why “Mama never says” the names of Emmylou’s father or grandfather, but it’s clear Emmylou is nevertheless part of a supportive community. Subsequent pages interleave other students’ presentations with Emmylou’s interactions with loving, caring neighbors, and little ones will likely be ahead of Emmylou in arriving at the answer to the dilemma. Sure enough, on the day of the presentation, Mr. Li, Mrs. Patel, and Rosa and Gabriel and their twins join Grandma Louella, Mama, and Emmylou on the found-family tree. References to Emmylou’s “good ear” indicate that the youngster is hard of hearing. Hu threads ginkgo branches through her muted, watercolor-in-digital illustrations with the same nuance Birdsong brings to her text. Appearing both symbolically and literally, the branches gracefully reinforce the story’s themes. Both Emmylou and Mama have straight, brown hair and pale skin; their neighborhood is robustly diverse.
A sensitive answer to a potentially insensitive and sadly common school exercise. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780823453962
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2025
Menacing and most likely to appeal to established fans of its co-creators.
Existing artwork from an artistic giant inspires a fairy-tale reimagination by a master of the horror genre.
In King’s interpretation of a classic Brothers Grimm story, which accompanies set and costume designs that the late Sendak created for a 1997 production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera, siblings Hansel and Gretel survive abandonment in the woods and an evil witch’s plot to gobble them up before finding their “happily ever after” alongside their father. Prose with the reassuring cadence of an old-timey tale, paired with Sendak’s instantly recognizable artwork, will lull readers before capitalizing on these creators’ knack for injecting darkness into seemingly safe spaces. Gaping faces loom in crevices of rocks and trees, and a gloomy palette of muted greens and ocher amplify the story’s foreboding tone, while King never sugarcoats the peach-skinned children’s peril. Branches with “clutching fingers” hide “the awful enchanted house” of a “child-stealing witch,” all portrayed in an eclectic mix of spot and full-bleed images. Featuring insults that might strike some as harsh (“idiot,” “fool”), the lengthy, dense text may try young readers’ patience, and the often overwhelmingly ominous mood feels more pitched to adults—particularly those familiar with King and Sendak—but an introduction acknowledges grandparents as a likely audience, and nostalgia may prompt leniency over an occasional disconnect between words and art.
Menacing and most likely to appeal to established fans of its co-creators. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9780062644695
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2025
An endearing ode to big siblinghood.
A buffalo is disconcerted when his daily routine is disrupted by a newborn.
Kalb begins with the playful rhymes and rhythms she employed in Buffalo Fluffalo (2024). Fluffalo, having learned a lesson in cooperation in his earlier outing, happily cavorts with Ram, Crow, and Prairie Dog before enjoying some thoughtful alone time and then settling down to sleep at dusk. A loud wailing sound wakes him at dawn and continues into daybreak. “‘What could that be?’ huffed tired old Fluffalo. / ‘I’ve said it before—I’ve had enuffalo!’” When he discovers that the sound is coming from a tiny buffalo, he becomes both irate and alarmed. Fortunately, his friends show up and assure him that the little one just needs some time to learn and grow. Fluffalo calms down and admits that the baby is a bit cute—something readers will have already realized, thanks to Kraan’s sweetly imaginative art. In the ensuing pages, Fluffalo mentors the loving Puffalo, including the baby in his daily activities and fielding (some of) Puff’s many questions. Readers with younger siblings will appreciate the subtle acknowledgment that Fluffalo’s new role can be taxing, but overall, the tale affirms the joy of mentoring, while the colorful, stylized art perfectly complements the upbeat verse. It’s easy to imagine an older child reading this story to a younger one at bedtime.
An endearing ode to big siblinghood. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9780593810309
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House Studio
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
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