A sublime blend of the snarky and sweet.
The two balls of clay introduced in Claymates (2017)—one brown, one gray—now play god, with mixed results.
While the gray ball slumbers, the brown one creates a whole new blob made of blue and green clay. “I take a short nap and you make a new friend?” asks the uncertain gray ball. When it becomes clear that the new creation prefers to take the shape of a unicorn dragon, the gray ball decides to make an accompanying knight to do battle. Unfortunately, it turns out that the brown one is better at making things than its friend. Kids with peers or siblings whose artistic talents exceed their own will instantly sympathize with the gray’s increasing frustration at its inability to make a cool sword (it looks like a banana), a knight (his resemblance to a lumpy tuber lands him the nickname Sir Potato), or a horse (don’t ask). Happily, innate talent is less important than fun when it comes to using one’s imagination—a message that goes down easy, accompanied by a heavy dose of wit and whimsy. Once more, Eldridge’s sculpted creations, photographed against an artist’s desk, charm; her visual gags meld effortlessly with Petty’s written ones, rendering this book just as marvelous a read-aloud for groups as for lapsit storytimes. Additionally, Eldridge’s gift for wresting keen facial expressions—from glee to overt horror—out of her clay creations is without compare.
A sublime blend of the snarky and sweet. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 7, 2026
ISBN: 9780316564540
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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