Goofy fare for those who like their unicorns more than a little quirky—and who don’t mind a bit of potty humor.
When is a unicorn story not a unicorn story?
Though the illustrations clearly depict a “magical horse with a horn in the middle of her forehead,” Roussey insists she is “not going to tell you a unicorn story!” Nevertheless, readers are introduced to Fiddlesticks, a wondrous creature who “poops rainbows as fluffy as whipped cream” and brings comfort and sweetness to people everywhere as the guardian of the Fountain of Joy. Of course, it takes only one stone-hearted child to ruin everything; young Nestor plunges the world into darkness after pooping in the fountain. Luckily, Fiddlesticks saves the day with a fuchsia-hued blast of flatulence; bewitched, Nestor hastily cleans up his mess. Roussey brings the story to a sweet conclusion—and then another (“What do you mean you want a real ending?”). Her tongue-in-cheek narration sets an archly funny tone echoed by her ink and paint illustrations, inspired by millefleurs tapestries but with a frenetic, doodlelike charm. Grossout gags range from the whimsical (the aforementioned rainbow poop) to the off-putting: a pig fountain that spews water from both ends, the bits of feces Nestor fishes out of the fountain. Most children have skin the white of the page.
Goofy fare for those who like their unicorns more than a little quirky—and who don’t mind a bit of potty humor. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 21, 2026
ISBN: 9781419783098
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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
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