Something light for a new-baby gift or child embarking on a journey.
A poem celebrates family philosophies and affection for the young.
Eight four-line stanzas accompanied by stylized illustrations of animal parents and babies make up this hortatory collection of happy thoughts. At the opening, a bighorn ram, ewe, and lamb ascend a steep incline (“We believe in climbing higher”), a mole and baby kiss (“We believe in digging deep”), bright yellow flowers bloom (“We believe in drinking sunshine”), and a sloth snuggles with its baby (“We believe in beauty sleep”). The “we” voice of encouragement and cheerleading continues throughout. From tadpoles to lions, Idle’s big-eyed, pretty animals are all recognizable in warm pastel colors and rounded forms. “We believe in families” appears with a pair of rabbits and a multihued collection of bunnies. Even the jellyfish has babies (“We believe in shining light”). Some lines are more opaque than others: A family of brown bears eating honey that drips, improbably, from a paper-wasp nest illustrates the lines “We believe that groups are smart / We believe in smacks of sweetness.” A family of dotted rays swims across the double-page spread that follows: “We believe we’re works of art.” A monarch caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly appear in the last few pages (“We believe that life’s a journey”) before readers see that the bighorn sheep family has reached the summit: “We believe in you.” (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 30.3% of actual size.)
Something light for a new-baby gift or child embarking on a journey. (Picture book. 2-7)Pub Date: Oct. 27, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-250-31200-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A charming tale of an athlete who may not steal any bases but who will certainly steal readers’ hearts.
Ohtani, pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, teams up with Blank and Liem to tell the story of how his dog, Decoy, threw out a ceremonial first pitch.
It’s a big day! Decoy leaps “off the bed. Then back onto the bed. Then off the bed.” The enthusiastic pup heads outside to practice with his lucky baseball but is quickly distracted by squirrels (“we’ll play later!”), airplanes (“flyin’ high!”), and flowers (“smell ya soon!”). Dog and pitcher then head to the ballpark. In the locker room, Decoy high-paws Shohei’s teammates. It’s nearly time! But as Shohei prepares to warm up, Decoy realizes that he’s forgotten something important: his lucky ball. Without it, there will be “no championships, no parades, and no hot dogs!” Back home he goes, returning just in time. With Shohei at the plate, Decoy runs from the mound to his owner, rolling the ball into Shohei’s mitt for a “Striiiiike!” Related from a dog’s point of view, Ohtani and Blank’s energetic text lends the tale a sense of urgency and suspense. Liem’s illustrations capture the excitement of the first day of baseball season and the joys of locker room camaraderie, as well as Shohei and Decoy’s mutual affection—even when the ball is drenched in slobber, Shohei’s love for his pet shines through, and clearly, Decoy is focused when it matters.
A charming tale of an athlete who may not steal any bases but who will certainly steal readers’ hearts. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9780063460775
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
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