Potentially useful but didactic insights on coping with childhood tantrums.
After a beloved game goes awry, a young girl learns how to deal with her anger.
While playing secret agents with her brother, Charlie, little Pia noisily trips, inadvertently alerting Mom and Dad to the kids’ special mission. “Try again!” encourages Dad. “We’ll pretend we didn’t see.” But frustrated Pia doesn’t want to; exploding with sadness, rage, “and a lot of other feelings she couldn’t quite name,” she stomps her feet, kicks, and shrieks. As in the family’s first outing, That’s My Truck! (2025), Mom assumes the lead, firmly taking Pia upstairs to her room. Instead of giving Pia the timeout that readers may be expecting, this calm, knowledgeable mother realizes that her child is a DPK (a “deeply feeling kid”) and offers loving support. This second series entry, also steeped in Kennedy’s child-rearing philosophy—as espoused on her website—exhibits the same issues as the first. Much of the narrative involves Mom serving as a quiet, steady presence as Pia works through her emotions—it’s a useful model for parents whose kids have frequent outbursts, but little ones are unlikely to find it all that compelling. Stone’s uncluttered illustrations feel a bit static, reflecting the action of the text but adding little else. Adults may wish that Pia and Charlie’s father played a more active role. Characters are illustrated with varying shades of brown or tan skin.
Potentially useful but didactic insights on coping with childhood tantrums. (Q&A with information for caregivers) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
ISBN: 9781250413116
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.
After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026
ISBN: 9780063436121
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.
Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026
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