A joyful lesson in the ABCs—and in persistence, resilience, and sportsmanship.
Based on the educational podcast Quentin and Alfie’s ABC Adventures, Thurman and Brooks’ picture book sees a little boy and his babysitter enjoying a perfect spring day.
Decked out for Easter, young Alfie’s thrilled that it’s April—his favorite month—and when his sitter, Quentin, arrives, the two decide to “see where the sidewalk takes [them].” At the park, they notice a crowd gathering for the egg hunt, and though Alfie’s eager to join and win the coveted golden egg, he’s a bit nervous. But with some reassurance from Quentin, he begins searching. Though the pair are briefly diverted by a merry-go-round, a musical performance, and a sun shower, Alfie eventually finds six eggs (spread out over the pages for easy counting). Maybe not enough to win, but they had fun, and as Quentin points out, “You tried hard, little man. That’s something to be proud of.” They cheer on the winner and pose for a selfie (“A golden memory with you” is better than any gold egg, Quentin observes). Unlike in the original podcast, the sidewalk here isn’t magical, but it leads to an exciting adventure all the same, and select words are bolded throughout the text, in alphabetical order. Cartoon-style artwork celebrates spring in pastels, the candy-colored palette matching the wholesomeness of the duo’s interactions. Alfie and Quentin are Black; their community is diverse.
A joyful lesson in the ABCs—and in persistence, resilience, and sportsmanship. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9780374394547
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
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)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
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