A bright and busy introduction to farm life and existential philosophy.
A farmhouse parrot contemplates its raison d’être in Cobb’s picture book.
Perry, a plump, green-headed, red-bodied parrot, lives on a farm chock-full of animals. Rory the rooster crows every morning. The chickens lay eggs. The cow gives milk and the sheep provides wool. But what does Perry do? Observing all the activity around him, Perry wonders about his purpose in life. Then, his squawked mimicry and animal impressions (mooing, neighing, clucking) make the little farm boy and his sister laugh. Perry realizes he’s found his calling: to make others happy. The author narrates Perry’s tale via ABCB rhyming quatrains, presented rather awkwardly atop single- and double-page illustrations that leave insufficient blank space for the purpose. Cobb’s delivery is jaunty, but the rhymes, though fun, tend to shoehorn the narrative in: “‘What is it, what is it, / what can I do?’ / Perry said to himself. / ‘Should I live in a zoo?’” Readers may well wonder whether living at a zoo is any more purposeful than living at a farm (or if the sleeping dog, or the cat and mouse playing chase, offer meaningful contrast to Perry’s existence.) Thankfully, Pentangelo’s digital illustrations deftly capture the actions described and contain a treasure trove of background details—each turn of the page explodes in a riot of color and chaos. The art alone will afford plenty to occupy young minds.
A bright and busy introduction to farm life and existential philosophy.Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2010
ISBN: 9780578063911
Page Count: 38
Publisher: 10 to 2 Children's Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
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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