A beautiful journey and ode to friendship.
Thanks to the kindness of friends, Tula realizes her goals.
Tula, a gentle, upbeat elderly turtle, has a big heart and bigger dreams: She longs to fly all over the world. She grows sad, missing her far-away parents, whom she hasn’t seen in years, so her friends Hugo the mouse and Arnold the eagle come up with a plan. They secretly weave a basket and place Tula inside as she sleeps; Arnold then flies her off. The adventure begins: Tula rides a train, watches dolphins from a boat, attends a live performance, and visits the beach, all thanks to her friends. A concluding note explains that Tula’s story was written by six people with intellectual disabilities who took part in Cuento Contigo, a literary workshop based in Spain. Readers may wonder why Tula never visits her parents, but it’s a small point; the devotion of Tula’s friends is a reminder to readers of the transformative power of close relationships. Powerful and tender emotions are on display: Tula’s yearning for faraway relatives, as well as her ultimate relief and joy. Paniagua’s detailed illustrations add texture and depth, like the realistic, almost touchable doily on the shelf or the shadows that Hugo and Arnold cast as they pull off their plan while Tula slumbers. Carefully placed blurring in the foreground gives a cinematic flair to the artwork. This is a lovely, simple tale that invites readers to pore over its rich illustrations.
A beautiful journey and ode to friendship. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9788410438439
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cuento de Luz
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2026
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.
After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026
ISBN: 9780063436121
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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