An inviting fantasy for fashion-forward beginning readers.
Fae fashionistas strut their stuff.
As it turns out, fairies love couture; a fairy named Lily explains to readers that they sport jewelry and clothes inspired by the natural world. Held in a leafy glade, their annual fashion show offers them the chance to show off their finery. Lily’s human friend, Willow, admires fairy fashion and wishes she could wear some of it. So Lily organizes a makeover, assigning jobs to the other sprites. Jasmine styles Willow’s hair, while Sky makes her a necklace out of flowers. Initially clad in overalls, Willow finishes the story in a long-skirted pale lavender dress. Lily makes Willow a lustrous pair of matching wings and, just before the show starts, adds a sprinkling of fairy dust. Composed of curving lines, Jackson’s swirling, sparkling illustrations play to the most romantic impulses: Twisting vines, tendrils of hair, flower petals, ballerinalike tutus, and shiny fabrics make every page shimmer. The typeface is large, many words are single-syllable, and a sense of pleasant anticipation will carry new readers onward through the brief story. Newcomers and fans of the pair’s other outings, including the picture book Lily’s Dream (2025), will be pleased. Willow and Lily present Black; the fairies vary in skin tone and body type.
An inviting fantasy for fashion-forward beginning readers. (Early reader. 4-6)Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9781665941129
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon Spotlight
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
Cleverly reinforces the dangers of running on empty.
The titular robot learns a lesson in balancing work with rest.
Although Whirby loves school and excels at subjects like magnetics, circuitry, and tinkering, he especially adores gadgeteering, because of the opportunities for “bot battles.” Whirby is so excited about competing in the next day’s tournament that he stays up all night practicing instead of plugging himself in and recharging his battery. The next morning, “his gears [feel] gritty, his buttons [feel] busted, and his cranks [feel] extra cranky.” At school, he experiences a major malfunction, and by the time he reaches the sporting ring, his battery has gone dead. His instructor, Dr. Whizbang, sends him home. Though devastated at missing his chance to go up against Dottie the Destroyer, Whirby makes a few observations about his body that night and “[codes] a new sequence” for himself, which little ones will recognize as a robot’s equivalent of bedtime rituals. Will Whirby feel ready tomorrow? Though older readers may find the tale a bit didactic, with its clearly telegraphed lessons, younger ones will be charmed by Whirby. Harris employs well-flowing sentences that make effective use of alliteration while playfully incorporating technical jargon. Featuring bright, eye-catching backdrops, Souva’s whimsical, blocky depictions of automatons pair well with the text.
Cleverly reinforces the dangers of running on empty. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Feb. 17, 2026
ISBN: 9780063385474
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
Inspiring, adventurous fun for aspirational kids.
A little girl’s imaginative plan to become an astronaut and be the first to travel to Mars really takes off.
Together with a crew of stuffed animals (owl, rabbit, and teddy bear), Sadie Sprocket does her research, gathers materials to build her spaceship, and, with support from family and friends—and media coverage—embarks on her historic journey. Rhyming quatrains tell the story of how Sadie patiently reads, cooks, and records important data during the 100-day interplanetary journey. And then: “The Earth behind, so far away, / was now a tiny dot. / Then Sadie cried, ‘There’s planet Mars! / It’s smaller than I thought!’ ” After landing and gathering 20 bags of samples, Sadie and crew are stuck in a red sandstorm while trying to take off again. But with Sadie’s determination and can-do spirit, they blast off, safely returning to Earth with future heroic space-exploration ideas in mind. Spiky cartoons transform a child’s playroom into an outer-space venue, complete with twinkling stars and colorful planets. Sadie presents White while her encouraging fans feature more diversity. An addendum includes brief facts about Mars and a handful of women space scientists. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 50% of actual size.)
Inspiring, adventurous fun for aspirational kids. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5420-1803-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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