Tender and bracing, like the best kind of hug.
Mami’s embrace makes a young Latine child feel deeply loved.
Apapachos (or hugs) brighten celebrations, soften disappointments, and chase away nighttime fears. But now that Mami’s working away from home for the first time, how will Luna manage without their daily embraces? A gentle apapacho from Abue after a small mishap while gardening makes Luna feel braver. Daddy’s bedtime hugs make Luna feel safe, and the youngster offers him one in return, knowing he misses Mami, too. Even Benito the poodle starts the morning with a slobbery snuggle that lifts Luna’s spirits. Over the next few days, family, friends, and teachers find other ways to make Luna feel appreciated, like encouraging words from Ms. Garcia at school and time spent on the playground with a best friend. And when Mami finally returns, Luna realizes an important truth: “Whether Mami’s near or far, our apapacho love can hold up the moon, the stars, and ALL of me.” Highlighting the many forms love can take, Harmony’s warm, reassuring story makes clear that distance can never diminish love. Depicting a diverse, sweet-faced cast, Meza’s mixed-media illustrations blend bright washes of color and squiggly action lines; they radiate emotion and make the meaning of apapachos tangible. An author’s note further discusses the title word, a Spanish word for a hug that derives from the Náhuatl term papachoa.
Tender and bracing, like the best kind of hug. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9780374391836
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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