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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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: yesterday
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
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