Warmhearted but less than satisfying.
Poor Alfred needs a friend.
No one ever visits Alfred; he’s sure it’s because his yard is barren. He tries and fails to grow flowers like his friend Lulu, who receives a constant stream of visitors to her glorious garden. Dejected, Alfred decides to try one last time. He buys a seed packet, which he accidentally scatters all over himself with a big sneeze. He wallows sadly in the mud; when he’s caught in the rain, the seeds inexplicably take root on him and immediately bloom, covering him in blossoms. So enflowered, he goes on his weekly errand to bring Lulu a blueberry muffin. She’s delighted by Alfred’s blooms and the sweet treat, but she assures him that she loves his visits, not because of the muffins, but because she enjoys spending time with him, and Alfred’s heart lightens. Why didn’t Alfred already know this after so many visits? Why doesn’t Lulu help him with his garden? Such unresolved questions are more emotionally pressing than the puzzling mystery around the quick-blooming flowers that sprout from Alfred’s person. The cartoon-style art doesn’t clarify matters, though readers may enjoy playful details such as a Little Free Library in Lulu’s yard, topiaries outside the store where Alfred purchases his seeds, and a yellow bird that follows him throughout the story. Alfred is tan-skinned, Lulu is lighter-skinned, and their community is diverse.
Warmhearted but less than satisfying. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780593647608
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House Studio
Review Posted Online: Dec. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2025
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
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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