A delightful tale to extend a budding logophile’s lexicon and a young naturalist’s knowledge.
While we wait for bunnies to appear, some unusual collective nouns hop past.
As in her earlier book, A Mischief of Mice (2024), many of Matheson’s group labels are lesser known: “a charm of goldfinches,” “a bale of turtles,” “a parcel of deer,” “a kaleidoscope of butterflies,” and “a banditry of chickadees.” These fascinating collectives are naturally integrated into a sweet story. When a rabbit goes missing, the friendly local animals—among them “a scurry of squirrels,” “an army of frogs,” “a loveliness of ladybugs”—express concern. A sleuth of wise bears finally arrive with an explanation: She might be “busy feeding someone, deep in that cozy nest.” And right on cue, the mother rabbit arrives, “leading a fluffle of bunnies.” The writing, in large type and a readable font, is clear and poetic, with rhyming text but no rigid meter. The rhymes are sometimes slant or near: for instance, shifty matched with swiftly. Matheson’s pastel watercolors are perfectly suited to her gentle text. Set against flat, wallpaperlike florals, the fauna are mostly realistic, though sometimes they stand upright and strike human poses. Backmatter includes facts about the animals and notes a few additional nouns; for instance, deer collectively can be called by the more common herd, butterflies are also a swarm or flutter, and swans are also a bevy, a wedge (when in flight), and a bank (on land).
A delightful tale to extend a budding logophile’s lexicon and a young naturalist’s knowledge. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781728272108
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2025
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
This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez,...
Abuela is coming to stay with Mia and her parents. But how will they communicate if Mia speaks little Spanish and Abuela, little English? Could it be that a parrot named Mango is the solution?
The measured, evocative text describes how Mia’s español is not good enough to tell Abuela the things a grandmother should know. And Abuela’s English is too poquito to tell Mia all the stories a granddaughter wants to hear. Mia sets out to teach her Abuela English. A red feather Abuela has brought with her to remind her of a wild parrot that roosted in her mango trees back home gives Mia an idea. She and her mother buy a parrot they name Mango. And as Abuela and Mia teach Mango, and each other, to speak both Spanish and English, their “mouths [fill] with things to say.” The accompanying illustrations are charmingly executed in ink, gouache, and marker, “with a sprinkling of digital magic.” They depict a cheery urban neighborhood and a comfortable, small apartment. Readers from multigenerational immigrant families will recognize the all-too-familiar language barrier. They will also cheer for the warm and loving relationship between Abuela and Mia, which is evident in both text and illustrations even as the characters struggle to understand each other. A Spanish-language edition, Mango, Abuela, y yo, gracefully translated by Teresa Mlawer, publishes simultaneously.
This warm family story is a splendid showcase for the combined talents of Medina, a Pura Belpré award winner, and Dominguez, an honoree. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-6900-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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