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WHACK A MOLEY

Name: WHACK A MOLEY
Author: Bethan Clarke
ISBN: 9781684646425

by Bethan Clarke ; illustrated by Anders Frang ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 1, 2026

A rather mean-spirited follow-up to a satisfying outing.

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The goat and the mole from Holey Moley (2023) return for another squabbly book-length conversation.

Goat Gus wants to play a game, and mole Mavis is all in—and proposes tiddlywinks. Gus has other ideas: “Let’s play WHACK A MOLEY!” Gus pulls out a giant pink mallet from seemingly nowhere. “Let’s…not,” says Mavis. So Gus suggests something called “QUACK A MOLEY,” which finds an aggrieved Mavis in a pond in a duck costume with a hook at the top that Gus looks ready to snare with a long pole. On it goes, with Gus proposing games that entail Mavis getting eaten (“SNACK A MOLEY”) or weighed down by wooden boards. Mavis retaliates with suggestions that Gus, in turn, finds off-putting—e.g., “Does Goat-y FLOAT-Y?” during which Gus seems on the verge of drowning (“Glub…”). As in the earlier story, the forced rhymes are the point and will hit some readers squarely in their giggle zone. But whereas Holey Moley found Gus and Mavis engaged in a rousing guessing game, this tale is rather cruel, the idea of inflicting discomfort played for laughs. (Think Tom and Jerry, not Elephant and Piggie.) Frang’s art is once again in its full loveliness, depicting the goings-on in an airy woodland setting featuring interesting plant life and, apparently, an off-page prop closet.

A rather mean-spirited follow-up to a satisfying outing. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: June 1, 2026

ISBN: 9781684646425

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Kane Miller

Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
SNARKY SHARKY
by Bethan Clarke ; illustrated by Nikolas Ilic

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THE PUMPKIN THIEF

From the Leaf Thief series

by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 28, 2026

More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SUN THIEF
by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SNOW THIEF
by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BISON AND THE BUTTERFLY
by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nancy Leschnikoff

PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

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PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

by James Dean ; illustrated by James Dean ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 18, 2018

Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among

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Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.

If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”

Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)