An urban dream of solitude and friendship.
In this Japanese import, two youngsters move through the city on parallel paths.
Tom (a bear) and Momo (a rabbit) have both recently relocated to an urban environment distinctly reminiscent of New York. It’s cold, the trees are bare, and snow falls quietly on broad open park land as the protagonists bustle between subway trains, diners, and outdoor markets in their parents’ company. They cross paths but never meet. Neither has siblings, and they can both be found gazing out backlit apartment windows into the dark night, dreaming of a playmate. One night, by coincidence or fate, both are in line for Christmas cake with their mothers. Tom notices Momo’s yellow poncho. Later, at the grocery store, Momo notices Tom’s yellow snowsuit. Heading home, the children realize they are following the same path, and to their happy surprise, they arrive in the same apartment lobby. Finally, Momo and Tom find the gift of a playmate and jump joyfully into imaginary play together. Miyakoshi’s signature style is on full display here. Anthropomorphic animals bustle about busy streets, each image displaying deep appreciation for city life’s quotidian rhythms while capturing the ineffable melancholy of feeling alone amid a crowd. Miyakoshi’s aesthetic celebration of light and shadow is perfectly suited to Tom and Momo’s winter world, especially when inky-dark evenings are charmingly dotted with the twinkling lights of Christmas trees.
An urban dream of solitude and friendship. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9781525314476
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2026
An instructive tale about big feelings, lightened up by a furious kid’s theatrics.
An angry child attempts to calm down.
A kid with paper-white skin, clad in a blue dress and striped tights, makes an absurd request: “Can we get a pet penguin, name it Marshmallow, and feed it carrots?” Mom, off-stage, says simply, “Not today,” and the tot transforms into a rather odd creature: a spicy nugget! The nugget is imperfectly ovoid in form, with red rosy cheeks, rage-filled dot-eyes, and a spiraling black-hole mouth. The sight gag works beautifully: When one feels truly angry, all poise disappears, leaving only a flailing ball of rage. Our protagonist hurls a teddy bear, unsuccessfully tries out a list of calming methods, and finally retreats to bed, where “I can feel my breathing; I know that I am safe.” The youngster reverts back to human form, and Mom arrives with kind words: “You are not your big feelings. You are not your angry thoughts.” The takeaway is unmistakable, especially at the story’s conclusion: It’s OK to get mad and important to practice coping strategies. The young narrator expresses emotion with fabulous vigor, though the story’s lilting rhyme scheme occasionally distracts from these outbursts with cuteness. Nonetheless, this increasingly enraged nugget-child is irresistible; anyone who’s grappled with overwhelming emotions will relate—in a word, everyone.
An instructive tale about big feelings, lightened up by a furious kid’s theatrics. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2026
ISBN: 9798217042142
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
SEEN & HEARD
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
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