An appropriately simple and delightful canine-themed entry into the Christmas story canon.
Canine companion Belle negotiates the ups and downs of the Christmas season in Vanous’ picture book.
As many pets do, small dog Belle believes that the world revolves around her. On Christmas Eve, Belle knows something special is coming, but she believes it’s in her honor. When she and her human owner Mrs. Holliday take a stroll around the neighborhood and pass several Santa Claus lawn ornaments, Belle gets suspicious. “Who are these strange, silent things in everyone’s yards?” Later, at the mall, Belle gets her picture taken with a flesh-and-blood Santa. She doesn’t trust the way that families simply hand their children and pets over to him, but the treats he provides assuage her concerns. Belle discovers upon her return that even her home has been decked out: It’s really for Christmas, but Belle assumes it’s for her. She eagerly awaits multiple gifts in the morning, only to be disappointed that the humans of the family are unwrapping them instead: that is, until Mrs. Holliday gives her a present of her very own. The latest in Vanous’ series about Belle since Brave Belle Saves the Day (2025), this entertaining holiday picture book is loaded with vintage charm and gentle humor. Belle is a character in which many young readers will no doubt see echoes of their own pets confused by strange human rituals. Flint’s watercolor and ink illustrations hearken back to the 1950s, the era in which many classic Christmas songs originated, giving the story a timeless feel.
An appropriately simple and delightful canine-themed entry into the Christmas story canon.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9798993516493
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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
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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