A very happy Hanukkah for little listeners, candle lighters, and dreidel spinners.
A little girl and her puppy celebrate the holiday.
Pigtailed Kayla and her dog, Kugel, are preparing for Hanukkah by busily searching through boxes for the menorahs and dreidels. Kugel jumps ahead on the calendar, though, and starts rooting through a box labeled “Purim.” Kayla finds the correct box and, as she unpacks it, shares the story of the holiday with the dog. Kugel, in his enthusiasm to light the holiday lights, holds out a Shabbat candlestick. “Put that away. Please?” Kayla pleads. Kugel keeps up his frolicsome ways until Kayla concludes her retelling with the word “miracle!” In a colorful double-page spread, Kayla, her mother, and her father (who is holding a baby sibling) light the first candle with Kugel watching attentively. He then reverts to his lively self by spinning around like a dreidel. Young listeners who learned about Shabbat from Kayla and Kugel (2015) and Passover from Kayla and Kugel’s Almost-Perfect Passover (2016) will enjoy this spirited offering with its colorful and lively illustrations. The pages retelling the story of Hanukkah are depicted in sepia tones. The family presents as White, and the father wears a kippah.
A very happy Hanukkah for little listeners, candle lighters, and dreidel spinners. (author's note) (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68115-560-9
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Apples & Honey Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
Sure to have little ones giggling.
Jacques is a hedgehog with a big secret: “I wear real, bona fide underwear.”
Our narrator received a mysterious package one day; an illustration shows a pair of underwear tied to a balloon with a note “from the Universe” floating down into Jacques’ burrow. Hedgehogs don’t wear underwear, however. Will Jacques be shunned? Jacques worries but comes to a decision: “I have to wear them. When I do I feel special.” Determined, Jacques, who’s been invited to a party, makes a dramatic entrance, with undies in hand. Jacques’ declaration (“I WEAR UNDERWEAR”) is met with remarks of dismay, before another hedgehog opens up about similar fears and shows off a pair of cowboy boots. More hedgehogs introduce themselves with their own confessions. The story ends with Jacques unveiling a painting of the underwear in a gallery filled with hedgehogs wearing all sorts of attire. Though the book is simple in plot, characters, and setting, it wins in its balance of bathroom humor, dramatic storytelling, and celebrations of individual expression. French words are peppered throughout, adding to the fun without detracting from the story for those unfamiliar with the language. The cartoonish illustrations brim with fun; Valdez relies heavily on geometric shapes (triangle noses for the hedgehogs; huge circles for their eyes). Details such as speech bubbles and recurring turtle and snake characters contribute to the outlandish humor.
Sure to have little ones giggling. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781250814388
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out.
From the changing season to decorations and costumes, children anticipate Halloween.
Little readers will enjoy all of the familiar markers of the season included in this book: falling leaves, jack-o’-lanterns, Halloween costumes, candy, and trick-or-treating. Everett’s rhyming couplets bob along safely, offering nothing that will wow but enough to keep the pages turning. It’s Wen’s illustrations that give the most to readers, full of bustling scenes and lovely details. A double-page spread of the children in town in front of the candy store includes jars with individually drawn treats and other festive delicacies. The townwide celebration features instruments, creative costumes, and a diverse crowd of people. There are three children who appear as the focus of the illustrations, though there are many secondary characters. One bespectacled White child is drawn in a manual wheelchair, another has dark brown skin, the third presents Asian. The child in the wheelchair is shown as a full participant. Readers will enjoy spotting spooks like a vampire, goblin, and werewolf, as they sometimes appear in the background and other times blend in with the crowd. The familiar trappings of Halloween paired with the robust illustrations will have little readers wanting to reread even if the content itself is not startlingly new.
High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-0586-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
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