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An engaging tale about offering kindness and receiving friendship.

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A bunny faces her fears and makes a new friend in this picture book.

A rabbit named Love Truly and her friends are in the school cafeteria when the new kid arrives. He’s big, blue, and has a booming voice that makes Love Truly shiver. The bunny prays that the new kid, PeeWee, will make some friends—just not with her. But when PeeWee trips and spills all his food, Love Truly’s heart tells her she needs to do something. Full of bravery, she rounds up her friends and they help the new student, even inviting him to sit with them at their table. As it turns out, PeeWee was frightened, too: He was scared of not making any friends at his new school. Told in the second person, in the same tone as Laura Numeroff’s If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (1985), the enjoyable story makes Love Truly’s choices feel personal and relatable, all relayed in accessible language for emergent readers. Clues about Love Truly’s struggle are particularly well phrased: “But your heart will ache because you aren’t showing love.” Pattison’s text refers to prayer and begins with a Bible verse, but the important lessons of friendship and kindness are universal. Davis’ cartoon illustrations deliver simple animal characters packed with plenty of charisma. Though the author is better known for her science titles, like Diego, the Galápagos Giant Tortoise (2022), she ably displays her ability to depict children’s strong emotions.

An engaging tale about offering kindness and receiving friendship.

Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2023

ISBN: 9781629442051

Page Count: 34

Publisher: Tapestry Publications

Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023

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PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

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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THE WORLD NEEDS THE WONDER YOU SEE

Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children.

Interior decorator and TV personality Gaines invites readers to open their eyes and exercise their imaginations.

There’s a world to be explored out there—and only children can really take part. What does “looking for wonder” entail? Slowing down and looking up, around, and everywhere. At the outset, a group of eager, racially diverse young friends—including one who uses a wheelchair—are fully prepared for a grand adventure. They offer tips about how and where to look: Why, there’s a “grand parade” of marching ants! And, these kids add, perspective is key. A rainy day might signal gloom to some, but to those filled with wonder, showers bring “magic puddles for play”; a forest is “an enchanted world,” the ocean conceals “a spectacular city,” and the night sky boasts “extraordinary sights.” The takeaway: “Wonder is never in short supply.” It’s a robust, empowering message, as is the exhortation to “keep your mind open, and let curiosity guide the way.” Youngsters are also advised to share their discoveries. The upbeat narrative is delivered in clunky verse, but the colorful cartoonish illustrations brimming with activity and good cheer (including some adorable anthropomorphized animals in the backgrounds) make up for the textual lapses and should motivate readers to embark on their own “wonder explorations.”

Handy advice for perpetually inquisitive children. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2025

ISBN: 9781400247417

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tommy Nelson

Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025

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