A thoughtful and accessible introduction.
Passchier offers an exploration of gender for the youngest of readers.
Each spread in this colorful picture book explores a different aspect of gender before ending with the titular refrain, sending the message that kids should feel unconstrained by gender norms. On a page discussing common terms, a group of kids and adults paint a mural with words such as nonbinary and trans while sharing their own thoughts: “I feel like a boy.” “I call myself genderqueer.” “None of these words feel right just yet.” The ensemble discuss pronouns at a Drag Queen Story Hour, learn about gender expression while visiting a salon (“I love my hair short”; “My bright lipstick highlights smile”), and emphasize that there’s no set timeline for figuring out one’s gender: “I changed [my pronouns] a few years ago,” says one elder to another. Laudably, Passchier notes that all feelings and emotional expressions, even those stereotypically associated with a particular gender, are natural—something not often seen in similar books on this topic. “I feel sad today,” says a weepy male-presenting child. “I’m mad!” says a female-presenting, ponytailed youngster. Passchier’s chipper cartoon art depicts a cast diverse in skin tone, hair texture, ability, body type, age, religion, and gender expression.
A thoughtful and accessible introduction. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781499818123
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute.
Readers bid farewell to a beloved canine character.
Momo is—or was—an adorable and very photogenic border collie owned by author Knapp. The many readers who loved him in the previous half-dozen books are in for a shock with this one. “Momo had died” is the stark reality—and there are no photographs of him here. Instead, Momo has been replaced by a flat cartoonish pastiche with strange, staring round white eyes, inserted into some of Knapp’s photography (which remains appealing, insofar as it can be discerned under the mixed media). Previous books contained few or no words. Unfortunately, virtuosity behind a lens does not guarantee mastery of verse. The art here is accompanied by words that sometimes rhyme but never find a workable or predictable rhythm (“We’d fetch and we’d catch, / we’d run and we’d jump. Every day we found new / games to play”). It’s a pity, because the subject—a pet’s death—is an important one to address with children. Of course, Momo isn’t gone; he can still be found “everywhere” in memories. But alas, he can be found here only in the crude depictions of the darling dog so well known from the earlier books.
A well-meaning but lackluster tribute. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781683693864
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Quirk Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer.
Rotner follows up her celebrations of spring and autumn with this look at all things winter.
Beginning with the signs that winter is coming—bare trees, shorter days, colder temperatures—Rotner eases readers into the season. People light fires and sing songs on the solstice, trees and plants stop growing, and shadows grow long. Ice starts to form on bodies of water and windows. When the snow flies, the fun begins—bundle up and then build forts, make snowballs and snowmen (with eyebrows!), sled, ski (nordic is pictured), skate, snowshoe, snowboard, drink hot chocolate. Animals adapt to the cold as well. “Birds grow more feathers” (there’s nothing about fluffing and air insulation) and mammals, more hair. They have to search for food, and Rotner discusses how many make or find shelter, slow down, hibernate, or go underground or underwater to stay warm. One page talks about celebrating holidays with lights and decorations. The photos show a lit menorah, an outdoor deciduous tree covered in huge Christmas bulbs, a girl next to a Chinese dragon head, a boy with lit luminarias, and some fireworks. The final spread shows signs of the season’s shift to spring. Rotner’s photos, as always, are a big draw. The children are a marvelous mix of cultures and races, and all show their clear delight with winter.
A solid addition to Rotner’s seasonal series. Bring on summer. (Informational picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3976-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 13, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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