Sweet as, well, honey, if a bit disingenuous.
A young bear wakes from hibernation with just one thought in mind: honey.
He’s hungry—it’s been months since he’s had any—and his surroundings conspire to remind him of honey: the warm, golden light of the sun; the clear, flowing water of a nearby stream; the delicious scent of a blossoming fruit tree. He’s not yet 2, and with the persistence of a toddler he returns over and over to the hollow tree where a bee colony lives only to find that it’s “too soon for honey.” Framed, energetic watercolors show him making do, finding nourishment in grasses, pine cones, and berries as the spring turns to summer. But he keeps returning to the hive only to find that it’s still “too soon” and even earning himself a sting on the snoot. “ ‘Ouch!’ (Busy bees don’t like to be bothered.)” Stein’s figures are gestural, loose, simple lines delineating his protagonist, whose round head and simplified body will foster an easy relationship with young readers. Eventually the bear loses himself in the delights of summer before a buzz reminds him and he is finally able to enjoy the “warm, golden, sweet, clear, slowly flowing, spicy, aromatic, sparkling with sunlight—‘Honey!’ ” Stein appropriately sidesteps the all-too-frequent mistake of depicting the hive as an external, hanging globe—but he also elides the near-total destruction a real bear would likely wreak upon the tree in pursuit of the honey.
Sweet as, well, honey, if a bit disingenuous. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 27, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5247-3786-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: Jan. 21, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A light next installment featuring familiar themes.
Glue gains some sparkle with help from a new friend.
Whether securing Popsicle sticks and pompoms or bringing art to life with googly eyes, Glue is happy to help her friends create. But because her role relegates her to the background, she feels overlooked in the colorful shadows of Pencil and the Markers. Arriving uncapped, with a plume of purple and blue sparkles swirling about, is even more noticeable Glitter. Glue, doing what she does well, offers to stick some of Glitter’s sparkles down. But free-spirited Glitter is “meant to sparkle the entire world, not just one tiny spot!” A mishap might just open his mind and bring some shine to Glue’s life. In this third book, Kilpatrick and Blanco tackle individuality, confidence, and friendship. Glue’s contributions are vital and do not go unpraised by her friends, but she can’t help but feel invisible because her work is often unseen or physically transparent. Ultimately, the team-up with Glitter permanently transforms Glue: With the gift of some of Glitter’s sparkle, Glue’s work is hard to miss. Blanco’s mixed-media illustrations bring texture across the bright white backdrops of the pages. The minimalist art and short narrative result in a simple and cheery, if slightly didactic, message about uplifting less obvious achievements. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A light next installment featuring familiar themes. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 10, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-250-81760-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, springtime-themed reworking of a beloved tale.
The classic picture book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) gets a makeover for Easter as the letters of the alphabet locate and decorate eggs.
The mission is simple: “Chicka chicka peek peek. / Everybody seek seek! / Find all the eggs / in the pretty pink tree.” The letters are making their way up the flowering tree in search of the hidden eggs when a “SNEEZE!” scatters everyone and the eggs fall and crack. Luckily, a bunny hops by with a haul of new ones, which the letters then paint and bedazzle, eventually sharing the newly decorated eggs with a group of bunnies. This picture book is a successfully Easter-fied version of the original: The letters go up; the letters fall down. Truly, though, that’s all the preschool crowd needs. Chung’s illustrations are simple and familiar, a direct echo of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. The letters appear in colorful, bold, block form. The book has few added details, just focal images like the tree and its pink flowers, the colorful eggs, tufts of grass, and some friendly rabbits. The alphabet appears in order (both upper- and lowercase letters) at the book’s open and close. The rhyming text follows the iconic cadence of the source material, making for a worthy read-aloud that will keep little hands turning pages.
A sweet, springtime-themed reworking of a beloved tale. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9781665990646
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
