A moving narrative about the complexity of belonging in two worlds.
A bonobo raised in a human household must navigate the confusing transition from her familiar world to life among her own species.
Schrefer crafts a narrative that probes questions about identity and belonging. His author’s note reveals the story’s foundation in real rehabilitation efforts, particularly the case of Mimi, a bonobo who spent her first 15 years in a human home before joining a sanctuary in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Lulu’s dual nature—ape body, human upbringing—creates a cognitive dissonance she cannot articulate, but Ford’s illustrations powerfully express her feelings. His colored pencil and ink artwork employs a sun-drenched yellow-green palette that bathes domestic interiors and the jungle scenes in warm, welcoming light, visually suggesting continuity rather than opposition between Lulu’s two worlds. Ford varies his compositional approach across both environments, shifting between sweeping double-page spreads and focused vignettes that highlight telling details—Lulu using the toilet in her human home, wild bonobos climbing trees and eating fruit. Ford renders bonobo facial expressions with remarkable psychological acuity; Lulu’s wide-eyed dismay upon arriving at the sanctuary, her uncertain glances at the wild bonobos, and her reassuring smile when, later, she comforts a newcomer all convey complex emotional states. Schrefer’s matter-of-fact prose establishes normalcy before gently dismantling it, respecting young readers’ capacity to grasp cultural displacement. The tale’s honesty about Lulu’s struggle rings true.
A moving narrative about the complexity of belonging in two worlds. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Feb. 10, 2026
ISBN: 9780063205376
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts.
In this latest slice in the Food Group series, Humble Pie learns to stand up to a busy friend who’s taking advantage of his pal’s hard work on the sidelines.
Jake the Cake and Humble Pie are good friends. Where Pie is content to toil in the background, Jake happily shines in the spotlight. Alert readers will notice that Pie’s always right there, too, getting A-pluses and skiing expertly just behind—while also doing the support work that keeps every school and social project humming. “Fact: Nobody notices pie when there’s cake nearby!” When the two friends pair up for a science project, things begin well. But when the overcommitted Jake makes excuse after excuse, showing up late or not at all, a panicked Pie realizes that they won’t finish in time. When Jake finally shows up on the night before the project’s due, Pie courageously confronts him. “And for once, I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it.” The friends talk it out and collaborate through the night for the project’s successful presentation in class the next day. John and Oswald’s winning recipe—plentiful puns and delightful visual jokes—has yielded another treat here. The narration does skew didactic as it wraps up: “There’s nothing wrong with having a tough conversation, asking for help, or making sure you’re being treated fairly.” But it’s all good fun, in service of some gentle lessons about social-emotional development.
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063469730
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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