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WILLOW AND BUNNY

On the overly sweet side but will appeal widely.

A symbiotically bonded rabbit and a willow tree weather a tornado.

Heeding an unseen voice, Bunny seeks “a safe place to grow.” He finds it with Willow, whose mass, strength, and pendant, leafy branches offer a protective refuge from the open wood. Through the seasons, Bunny grazes clover, grooms himself under Willow’s generous canopy, and shelters in a den beneath her. One evening, a powerful storm brings “an angry spiral” to the woodland…and frightened animals to Willow’s sheltering expanse. Willow keeps them safe all night, but morning reveals the damage Willow has suffered. As she views her reflected injuries in the creek, “at last, Willow wept.” Casting Bunny and other animals in gardening roles, Schulte renders them untangling Willow’s branches and carrying “her cuttings into the wood to plant.” Eventually, after “many moons, many rains… // and many warm, sunny days,” new trees begin to grow. While other animals often visit Willow, Bunny remains with his old friend: “Every day was theirs to share.” Caldecott honoree Denise’s digital illustrations confer a visual disequilibrium, combining blurred landscapes and naturalistic, highly rendered animals. The storm’s eerie light is compelling, but a preponderance of suffused, golden backlight, combined with Schulte’s personified dialogue, lends a Disney-fied vibe to the story.

On the overly sweet side but will appeal widely. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023

ISBN: 9781542025690

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Two Lions

Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023

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PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among

Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.

If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”

Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018

ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018

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THE WORLD NEEDS THE WONDER YOU SEE

Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.

Interior decorator and TV personality Gaines invites readers to open their eyes and exercise their imaginations.

There’s a world to be explored out there—and only children can really take part. What does “looking for wonder” entail? Slowing down and looking up, around, and everywhere. At the outset, a group of eager, racially diverse young friends—including one who uses a wheelchair—are fully prepared for a grand adventure. They offer tips about how and where to look: Why, there’s a “grand parade” of marching ants! And, these kids add, perspective is key. A rainy day might signal gloom to some, but to those filled with wonder, showers bring “magic puddles for play”; a forest is “an enchanted world,” the ocean conceals “a spectacular city,” and the night sky boasts “extraordinary sights.” The takeaway: “Wonder is never in short supply.” It’s a robust, empowering message, as is the exhortation to “keep your mind open, and let curiosity guide the way.” Youngsters are also advised to share their discoveries. The upbeat narrative is delivered in clunky verse, but the colorful cartoonish illustrations brimming with activity and good cheer (including some adorable anthropomorphized animals in the backgrounds) make up for the textual lapses and should motivate readers to embark on their own “wonder explorations.”

Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025

ISBN: 9781400247417

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tommy Nelson

Review Posted Online: today

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025

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