An amusing and very relevant cautionary tale.
A young hare devises a clever plan to expose a suspicious guest who threatens her family.
After her mother gives birth to identical septuplets, former only child Harriet (known as Harry) becomes a devoted older sibling, warming bottles, changing nappies, telling stories, and giving piggyback rides. Returning home one day from a long walk with her siblings, Harry’s greeted with the tragic news a coyote, disguised as an encyclopedia salesman, has eradicated their parents. Determined to keep her home and family together, Harry opens the Hare B&B to take in paying guests, and, with help from all seven siblings, the enterprise proves successful. However, the arrival late one evening of a “homely” rabbit requesting a room triggers Harry’s concern. She suspects this “repulsive,” “revolting,” “repugnant” rabbit may actually be the coyote in disguise. Harry quickly sets into motion a remarkable plan involving all her siblings to rid themselves of their devious guest and exact fitting retribution (followed by rehabilitation). With echoes of “The Three Little Pigs” and “Little Red Riding Hood,” this contemporary revision reminds readers the world can be a “dangerous place,” but we must soldier on with love, plan carefully, and not “be fearful every time someone comes to the door.” Eccentric, detail-driven, original illustrations, rendered in delicate pencil lines washed in pale pastel hues, add edgy humor, visual energy, and whimsy to this little drama of deception and self-reliance.
An amusing and very relevant cautionary tale. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: April 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-927917-38-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Running the Goat
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends
Gerald the elephant learns a truth familiar to every preschooler—heck, every human: “Waiting is not easy!”
When Piggie cartwheels up to Gerald announcing that she has a surprise for him, Gerald is less than pleased to learn that the “surprise is a surprise.” Gerald pumps Piggie for information (it’s big, it’s pretty, and they can share it), but Piggie holds fast on this basic principle: Gerald will have to wait. Gerald lets out an almighty “GROAN!” Variations on this basic exchange occur throughout the day; Gerald pleads, Piggie insists they must wait; Gerald groans. As the day turns to twilight (signaled by the backgrounds that darken from mauve to gray to charcoal), Gerald gets grumpy. “WE HAVE WASTED THE WHOLE DAY!…And for WHAT!?” Piggie then gestures up to the Milky Way, which an awed Gerald acknowledges “was worth the wait.” Willems relies even more than usual on the slightest of changes in posture, layout and typography, as two waiting figures can’t help but be pretty static. At one point, Piggie assumes the lotus position, infuriating Gerald. Most amusingly, Gerald’s elephantine groans assume weighty physicality in spread-filling speech bubbles that knock Piggie to the ground. And the spectacular, photo-collaged images of the Milky Way that dwarf the two friends makes it clear that it was indeed worth the wait.
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends . (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9957-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An absolute pleasure.
A small dog takes a huge leap.
True to her name, sled dog puppy Leap spends her days bounding happily through blankets of freshly fallen snow, bouncily biding her time until she, too, can suit up for a run with the team. Each dog brings a different, equally essential skill to the work of mushing, and as too-young Leap greets the pack when they return from their daily hike, she worries—what if she lacks a special talent of her own when it’s her time to race? But when the much-anticipated day arrives and Leap clips in for her rookie run, her feet tippity-tap excitedly, any trace of self-doubt eclipsed by her irrepressible enthusiasm. With their new addition in tow, the other dogs take off, buoyed as ever by a confidence borne from specialized expertise; they confront obstacles head-on, sailing easily along icy Northwoods terrain. That is until the team encounters a seemingly insurmountable hurdle, one that only their greenest member can clear. Dogsled racer Braverman’s sweet narrative builds a satisfying case for individuality as a community asset, celebrating both the value of teamwork and the discrete strengths that comprise it. Savvy readers will take pride in predicting Leap’s unique contribution, while canine lovers will delight in the revelation that the pups depicted are all real-life sled dogs working in northern Wisconsin. When’s illustrations are equal parts spellbinding and precious, deftly balancing compositional simplicity with masterful color work. The result is peerless.
An absolute pleasure. (author’s note) (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2025
ISBN: 9780063238053
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
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