A cheerful, encouraging story about love and understanding.
A girl searches for the perfect name for her pooch in Moyes’ children’s book celebrating connection and individuality.
Poppy, a young girl with bright red hair clipped back in flower barrettes, is out shopping with her mother one day when she spots something wonderful: puppies. It’s a pet adoption day, and Mommy tells Poppy they’ve already gotten approval to bring a puppy home. Excitedly, Poppy reaches down and scoops up a sleepy puppy, who licks her face; it’s instant love. The puppy has three legs—the adoption agent says he was born that way, promising he’ll still be fine for a pet. “He’s more than fine,” Poppy proclaims. “He’s perfect!” Soon, Poppy and the puppy are the best of friends; Poppy and her mom make ramps to aid the puppy in getting around, and Poppy helps him travel in a wagon or sling. There’s just one problem: Poppy can’t decide on a name. Luckily, a visit to Poppy’s grandparents helps her find the answer: When Grandpa Hamish makes the pup an assistive wheel to help him move more easily, Poppy christens the pooch “Wheelson.” This sweet story of canine friendship has just the right amount of conflict, none of it stemming from Wheelson’s disability or typical puppy-training drama. Poppy’s quest is about really getting to know her friend and finding the perfect thing to call him to honor who he is. Moyes balances some text-dense pages with lighter ones, using an accessible vocabulary, but a variety of sentence complexities throughout may provide a challenge for emergent readers. Logovaia uses strong digital brush strokes to capture the bright-haired girl’s enthusiasm and the sweetness of her small puppy. The composition of each image highlights the connection between Poppy and her puppy and depicts a child surrounded by love.
A cheerful, encouraging story about love and understanding.Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9781961624023
Page Count: 46
Publisher: DartFrog Blue
Review Posted Online: Nov. 17, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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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A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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