An LGBTQ+ affirming celebration of parental love in all its forms.
In this picture book from Olson, an owl tells the story of a young girl’s open adoption.
Wanda, a bespectacled brown owl in professorial robes, speaks to an unnamed redheaded girl: “Would you like to hear a special story? / It’s a love story—and it’s all about YOU!” Wanda explains that the girl’s parents—a loving, male couple—wanted and wished and prayed for a child and describes how they applied to an adoption agency, and how the girl’s birth mother loved the girl and scrupulously chose her adoptive dads from an enormous stack of hopeful applicants. Wanda shares how the dads hugged each other and danced upon receiving the good news; how they were present at the hospital for the girl’s birth; and how, as the girl grows, they will share pictures and life updates with her mother. Wanda observes, “YOU have brought two families / together through their love / for you.” Olson’s text is composed of straightforward, nonrhyming prose; the narrative skirts the question of why the girl was given up for adoption and instead emphasizes the love that all three parents feel for her—and the love that she, in turn, brings to them. Urbiztondo’s digital illustrations capture the tenderness and joy in the adults’ expressions and exuberant body language, as well as in the sweetly rendered flowers, trees, family snapshots, and swirls of emotion.
An LGBTQ+ affirming celebration of parental love in all its forms.Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2025
ISBN: 9798991818919
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Kids Are Awesome Publishing LLC
Review Posted Online: Sept. 8, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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