This woodland duo’s lesson in communication is ultimately unpersuasive.
Two friends try to apologize.
Scribble and Swoop are best friends, spending their days supporting each other’s creative endeavors in the ever sunny Walnut Woods. Scribble is a fuzzy orange squirrel, and Swoop is a blue-and-white owl with eyelashes and a heart-shaped face, and one day they decide to move in together. In an idyllic three-page moving montage, they find the perfect place, with “room for two with a little left over,” and unpack their things, individually deciding that the porch would be the ideal place to pursue their respective craft—and hiding it from their housemate. Things go predictably south, as Scribble wakes up early to open “the world’s greatest theater” while Swoop shuffles her tools into her dream studio space. A “CLATTER-BANG-CRASH” of a fight ensues, creating plenty of lingering resentment. A very drawn-out and ultimately anticlimactic apology sequence follows, in which readers are taught (probably not for the first time) that sorry “only works if you mean it.” Ironically, Scribble, though repentant, never does give a genuine apology, leaving Swoop to fix his curtains, his special pencil, and his ego, and then go on to create the sets for his plays. Julian’s sweet watercolor illustrations bring the ultimately uninspired text to life, with a cheerful palette and some creative use of the gutter.
This woodland duo’s lesson in communication is ultimately unpersuasive. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 3, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68010-190-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Jan. 25, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Visually sweet, though hampered by disjointed storytelling.
In this picture book from Fox News journalist Hall, a young hedgehog must find a way to protect his community when peril looms.
Hedgehog and his father both have busy days ahead. Dad’s on his way to the newspaper to report “what new news the news brings.” Hedgehog packs his backpack for an adventure, mindful of Dad’s rules: “Don’t talk to strangers” and “never ever cross the river alone.” Obeying the rules proves difficult when Hedgehog notices commotion on the other side of the river: A bear is hungrily eyeing Baby Owl, who’s fallen from her tree. With creative thinking, Hedgehog frightens off the bear and alerts Mama Owl, but the predator is still at large. So Hedgehog and Mama Owl create flyers to warn the forest residents. Though Motzo’s airy illustrations are pleasing—particularly the adorably animated Hedgehog, a tribute to Hall’s own children—the narrative feels bogged down with multiple themes as it attempts to explore the power of the written word, the importance of community, and the need to adhere to a parent’s rules. When Hedgehog apologizes for his apparent disobedience, Dad explains that Hedgehog never actually broke the rules; turns out it’s OK to cross the river in the company of an adult, and Mama Owl’s no stranger (she’s the town librarian, whom Hedgehog sees every week). The back-and-forth may leave readers confused; it also feels like a missed opportunity to discuss how to identify trustworthy adults.
Visually sweet, though hampered by disjointed storytelling. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9780063357549
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
Another empowering outing led by a dynamic young role model.
The third title in the Ambitious Girl series finds young Maya wanting accomplished women to get their due.
On a school trip to Washington, D.C., brown-skinned, bubble-braided Maya is full of questions, among them “How many representatives are there?” and, while checking out the statues and monuments, “Where are all the women?” Maya’s teacher tells her that they’ve seen all the “popular” statues and monuments. Maya is as dogged (“But what about Eleanor Roosevelt? Or Mary McLeod Bethune?”) as her teacher is dismissive: “Those aren’t on my list.” (Maya’s teacher follows the same list every trip.) Back at home, Maya is newly awakened to the lack of female representation in her orbit—she notices that streets and “even her own school” are named for men. Is there anything she can do about this? Maya’s teacher’s cluelessness feels a bit implausible, more like a plot device to steer the story in the right direction, but Maya’s righteous indignation is believable, and her corresponding activism will energize readers. Valdez gets into the spirit of things with her invigorating digital art: Maya and her multiethnic classmates and neighbors are colorful dressers with smiling faces, which fosters a sense that wherever Maya goes, a warm and ebullient community is there for her.
Another empowering outing led by a dynamic young role model. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9780316561341
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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