Parents and educators seeking to bully-proof their child and school will welcome this latest scenario from Roche (Little Pig Is Capable, 2002, etc.) depicting a child’s real-life problem and well-resolved conclusion. Second-grader Mim is comfortable and confident in her petite body as she is not only first in her class line-up, but in her mental outlook. That is until her class has gym simultaneously with the third graders and she meets June, oversized for her age, who uses her largess to intimidate Mim, literally bullying her way through every encounter. Expecting to be first in the joint class line-up, June is infuriated when she must line up after the second graders, vowing retaliation against Mim. Each day brings misery to poor Mim as June cuts in line grabbing the last grilled-cheese sandwich at lunch, threatens her privacy in the bathroom, and generally is the cause of Mim’s newfound anxiety. Through it all, Mim is encouraged by her mother, who suggests a peace offering of a cupcake, and her classmates, who rally round by singing a chant of support, all making June “ripping mad.” Finally, the end of the week brings Gym Olympics and both Mim and June inadvertently are the only two left after everyone pairs off in teams. Not wanting to miss out on the final event, both June and Mim discover each other’s strength and weakness, work together to finish the competition, come in “first” as a team, and proudly lead the class line-up wearing their winning medals. Roche’s colorful childlike gouache paintings of feline characters display a traditional, familiar home and school life as she adds detail to her scenes through body and facial movements. This is a well-crafted and believable story sure to relate to any school child facing her own concerns by creating her own solutions. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: March 24, 2002
ISBN: 0-618-15254-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2003
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Rylant (Henry and Mudge and the Sneaky Crackers, 1998, etc.) slips into a sentimental mode for this latest outing of the boy and his dog, as she sends Mudge and Henry and his parents off on a camping trip. Each character is attended to, each personality sketched in a few brief words: Henry's mother is the camping veteran with outdoor savvy; Henry's father doesn't know a tent stake from a marshmallow fork, but he's got a guitar for campfire entertainment; and the principals are their usual ready-for-fun selves. There are sappy moments, e.g., after an evening of star- gazing, Rylant sends the family off to bed with: ``Everyone slept safe and sound and there were no bears, no scares. Just the clean smell of trees . . . and wonderful green dreams.'' With its nice tempo, the story is as toasty as its campfire and swaddled in Stevenson's trusty artwork. (Fiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-689-81175-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1998
© 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.
