This fun pooch is likely to win fans despite some uneven rhyme schemes.
A small pup makes her way to the top of the tallest mountain east of the Mississippi in this rhyming picture book debut from Gressman.
Being born the smallest of her litter never stopped Harley, a small Yorkie, from having as many adventures as larger dogs. “Little Harley could keep up with the biggest of kind, / The challenge was never a question to mind,” the narrator explains. With her best friend, Macca, Harley makes plans to climb Mount Mitchell in North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. The narrator describes the beautiful sights Harley and Macca see on their hike: evergreens, primroses, switchbacks up the mountainside, and finally the summit itself. Even though other dogs doubt her abilities, Harley never lets it bother her. Based on a true story, the book concludes with a note from the author discussing how the real-life Harley and Macca summited Mount Mitchell with their human family. Gressman captures Harley’s boundless enthusiasm, using action words (e.g. “zipping”), stretch words for young readers (e.g. “strove”), and descriptive language (e.g. “glimmering”) to guide readers through the poetry. Some rhymes are a reach (“strove/primrose”), and the scansion tends toward uneven syncopation, which may make read alouds a challenge. Bircham’s cartoon illustrations feature watercolor backgrounds that capture the colors and surroundings of the Blue Ridge Mountains, emphasizing the beauty surrounding the canine characters. People familiar with the area are likely to notice famous landmarks (like the Biltmore) in the backgrounds.
This fun pooch is likely to win fans despite some uneven rhyme schemes.Pub Date: July 7, 2025
ISBN: 9798998601422
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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