A cheery tale of a simple, shared winter tradition that connects many hearts.
The neighborhood comes together on a snowy day in this wordless picture book, originally published in Canada.
A brown-skinned youngster tumbles out of bed, sees flurries of white from the window, and excitedly rushes outdoors. Soon the child has begun to build a snowman, with other kids joining in to help push the large balls of snow. When they need assistance to lift the head into place, a newcomer—a teenager or perhaps an adult—happily lends a hand. Other grown-ups, wearily trudging through the winter weather, pause at the sight. One by one, each contributes an item: a pickle for the nose, flowers for the hair. The crowd also grows: large, diverse, and loving. Smiles break out and laughter erupts as bagel halves are added for ears and other accessories appear. The final touch is a poppy pin from a veteran (a potentially less familiar detail to a U.S. audience that may get overlooked). Modeweg-Hansen’s twitchy lines add movement and joy, while a light blue wash over the sky harkens a slushy, wintry shiver. Luckily, the kindhearted ending envelops readers in warmth, reminding everyone of the happiness that spontaneous community connections can bring. Watching strangers’ lives intertwine in unexpected ways is a delight.
A cheery tale of a simple, shared winter tradition that connects many hearts. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2025
ISBN: 9781773069517
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Groundwood
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.
After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026
ISBN: 9780063436121
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
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While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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