An inviting portrayal of grief that reassures readers that the bonds of love will always continue.
A young Latine girl navigates her first experience with loss and discovers that death doesn’t have to be frightening.
Galina’s beloved Tía Luz María has died; she’s now buried in the cemetery near her home. Unsure of what death means, Galina worries aloud to her parrot, Cantinflas, that her aunt has become a “scary calavera” (skeleton). Overwhelmed by fear and grief, she hides photos and other things that remind her of Tía in the back of her closet. Still, reminders slip through. The radio plays a song they used to sing together, and those hidden pictures tumble out of the closet, leaving Galina uneasy and confused. When Galina finally looks through the photos, she begins to remember the joy she and Tía shared. Soon after, Cantinflas leads her to the cemetery. Though she expects something terrifying, Galina instead finds a place full of warmth and love. The graves are decorated with candles, marigolds, and other offerings. There, Galina meets her aunt’s spirit and feels comfort rather than terror. Together, they care for the grave and reconnect through song and memory. This Día de los Muertos–inspired story gently validates the fear and sadness children may feel around death while offering a reassuring perspective on remembrance. Lush, textured illustrations transform grief into something tender and beautiful, honoring both loss and the enduring presence of love.
An inviting portrayal of grief that reassures readers that the bonds of love will always continue. (author’s note) (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: July 21, 2026
ISBN: 9780063353992
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Quill Tree Books/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A charming friendship story and great setup for future books.
Curious about the Big Wide World outside his Sasquatch community, Hugo makes a friend who is of it.
Sasquatch Hugo’s bedroom is inside a cave and possesses the charming feature of a small stream running through it that he can sail his little toy boat on. It’s cool, but he yearns to see the Big Wide World. When he asks his smart friend Gigi if a Sasquatch might become a sailor, she says it’s possible but would be difficult—the primary rule of their people is to not be seen by Humans. Then, in everyone’s favorite Hide and Go Sneak class, which is held outside, a Human appears; Hugo laughs at the sight, drawing Human attention in a taboo-breaking mistake. Shortly after, Hugo’s toy boat floats into the cave with a Human toy—soon, it’s facilitating a pen-pal–type relationship that’s derailed when Hugo confesses to being a Sasquatch and Human Boone, a budding cryptozoologist, doesn’t believe him. How Hugo and Boone resolve this misapprehension and become friends in a joint search for the Ogopogo concludes this series opener. Potter keeps the third-person narrative tightly focused on Hugo’s perspective, and the details she uses to flesh out the Sasquatch world are delightfully playful. Sala’s drawings depict a homey Sasquatch cavern community, Boone as a freckled, white boy, and Hugo as a hairily benevolent behemoth.
A charming friendship story and great setup for future books. (final art unseen) (Fantasy. 5-9)Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2859-4
Page Count: 144
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Dec. 10, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2018
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