A delightfully droll exploration of friendship.
Can a bilious beast adjust his attitude?
Bulky, long-snouted, squinch-eyed Boar has always been a grump. Who knows why? His fellow woodland creatures look out for him (after all, he’s “a neighbor and one of their own”), but only Hedgehog attempts to reach out to Boar. Hedgehog gently suggests that Boar leave his cold dark cave for somewhere sunnier. Boar retorts that Hedgehog should mind his own business, but Hedgehog’s words linger. After a sleepless night in his leaky cave, Boar decides to set up his den right by the Great River—a spot that just so happens to be not too far from Hedgehog’s home. Hedgehog warns Boar about the risk of flooding: “Maybe move your den back a bit.” “Maybe stop giving me advice. We’re not friends, you know,” grumbles Boar, but he relocates once more. When Hedgehog is in trouble, it’s Boar’s turn to help—and he rises to the occasion. Boar enjoys being needed, and despite himself, he finds himself developing a true friendship with Hedgehog. Playful and witty art perfectly suits this marvelously understated story. Cleverly composed, firmly outlined, deeply colored illustrations convey both Boar’s cranky intransigence and Hedgehog’s politely expressed good sense. Hats, scarves, or trousers give the animals just a bit of a human touch.
A delightfully droll exploration of friendship. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 10, 2025
ISBN: 9781536228717
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
Earnest and well meaning but not quite a touchdown.
In Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Hurts’ motivational picture book, a youngster rebounds from disappointment.
As Jalen heads off on his first day of school, he daydreams about joining the football team, but his friend Trey soon breaks the bad news. The garden club needed more space for vegetables, so the football field was used for planting. There will be no football this year. Jalen is despondent, but his teachers Mrs. Lee and Mr. Barry and bodega owner Mr. Muhammad offer guidance that spurs him and his friends into positive action. They work to flip a nearby empty lot into a football field, with Jalen echoing his mentors’ adages. Once the field is complete, Jalen feels a swell of pride in his and his friends’ work. While the idea of kids working together to effect change is a laudable one, the bland, wordy storytelling won’t inspire young people or hold their attention. Tired, cliched inspirational comments peppered throughout often slow down the narrative, and many adult readers will find the premise—a school dropping a high-interest sports program in favor of a community garden—wildly unrealistic. Though the illustrations are colorful, with a Disney Junior charm, strange stylistic choices, such as signs with odd combinations of scribbles instead of letters, give them an unpolished look. Like Hurts, Jalen is Black; his community is diverse.
Earnest and well meaning but not quite a touchdown. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 10, 2026
ISBN: 9798217040308
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note.
Little Honey Bunny Funnybunny loves baseball almost as much as she loves her big brother P.J.—though it’s a close-run thing.
Readers familiar with the pranks P.J. plays on his younger sibling in older episodes of the series (most illustrated by Roger Bollen) will be amused—and perhaps a little confused—to see him in the role of perfect big brother after meeting his swaddled little sister for the first time in mama’s lap. But here, along with being a constant companion and “always happy to see her,” he cements his heroic status in her eyes by hitting a home run for his baseball team and then patiently teaching her how to play T-ball. After carefully coaching her and leading her through warm-up exercises, he even sits in the stands, loudly cheering her on as she scores the winning run in her own very first game. “‘You are the best brother a bunny could ever have!’” she burbles. This tale’s a tad blander compared with others centered on P.J. and his sister, but it’s undeniably cheery, with text well structured for burgeoning readers. The all-smiles animal cast in Bowers’ cartoon art features a large and diversely hued family of bunnies sporting immense floppy ears as well as a multispecies crowd of furry onlookers equally varied of color, with one spectator in a wheelchair.
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9798217032464
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
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