A sweet and funny Valentine’s Day read.
On Valentine’s Day, Lucy gets ready to make valentines for the friends she loves.
Her unicorn, Sparkle, joins her, but Lucy tells him not to worry—after all, as she says, “No one expects a valentine from a unicorn.” Even though Sparkle knows Lucy is in charge of valentines, he wants to tell Lucy all the reasons that he loves her. For example, he loves her “curly black hair” (she also has brown skin), her “big laugh,” and the fact that she always makes Sparkle feel loved. Sparkle decides to make Lucy a valentine only to find that there’s a reason that no one expects valentines from unicorns. For one thing, he doesn’t know how to write—or how to use scissors. He laboriously cuts out a heart with his horn and creates a message with hoofmarks, tasks that turn out to be harder than he thought. Eventually, Sparkle creates a valentine that he’s happy with—that is, until he accompanies Lucy to a Valentine’s Day party. When he sees what the other children have made, his card for Lucy seems clumsy and inadequate. Sparkle feels terrible until he realizes that what really matters is how Lucy feels—not only about the valentine Sparkle made, but about Sparkle himself. The book’s text is charming and understatedly witty, and the illustrations are both humorous and sweet. The story’s message of self-acceptance is perfectly suited for young readers whose creative visions don’t yet match their abilities.
A sweet and funny Valentine’s Day read. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Nov. 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-374-31422-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2021
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Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Familiarity breeds a birthday for the ages in this party worth attending.
Don’t let the Pigeon ruin his own special day!
Anyone who has ever encountered the title character in any of his books—whether his first, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (2003), or one of its many sequels—will understand that the bird’s innate self-love drives his every interaction. Little wonder, then, that he’s thrilled about his own “bird-day.” He has the hat. He has his “FANCY PLUMAGE.” And, best of all, he will get to blow out a candle “on my bird-day hot dog!” As he revels in the knowledge that this day is all for him, comeuppance is lurking. Someone has already blown out the bird-day candle—and eaten half the hot dog. It turns out that the Pigeon’s frenemy, the Duckling, has the same bird-day—as do a slew of newly hatched chicks. The Pigeon’s obligatory eight-panel freakout ensues. “What am I—invisible? I just want to be seen,” he whimpers, and when he receives some much-needed reassurance, he settles down and willingly shares his special day. While the switch from unapologetic narcissism to mature acceptance happens in the record-breaking span of two pages, the book is as enchanting as the Pigeon’s earlier outings. Even as it walks in the footsteps of its predecessors, there’s no denying the fun to be had.
Familiarity breeds a birthday for the ages in this party worth attending. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9781454999621
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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