A hushed, lovely gem.
A picture book born from a real animal sanctuary captures the journey of a sick baby calf toward healing, wholeness, and belonging.
Laks, founder of the Gentle Barn, draws inspiration from the true story of John Lewis Thunderheart, a sick orphaned calf nursed back to health through love and round-the-clock care. Her text is a kind of incantation—spare two-word phrases, nearly every one beginning with “gentle” or “gently,” that accumulate like a lullaby: “Gentle voice. / Gentle words. // Gentle trust.” The repetition is meditative, mimicking the patient rhythms of caregiving itself. Bell’s illustrations in acrylic paint and colored pencil are the perfect vessel for this tale. The book moves from intimate indoor scenes of the calf being tended in a home—temperature taken, blanketed, bottle-fed—to the welcoming barnyard family. Bell’s characters—rosy-cheeked, pale-skinned children with tiny dot eyes and rounded limbs—exist in a world of soft warmth: blush pinks, dusty blues, sage greens, and honeyed browns, all outlined in a fine rose line that gives every figure a glow of quiet life. The calf is all big ears and wobbly legs. On one especially sweet page—“Gentle strangers. / Gentle greeting”—the little creature is led on a purple rope leash to the open barn doors, where a cluster of white sheep, their dot eyes wide and curious, lean out to meet him; the pink barn walls frame the scene like a welcome embrace.
A hushed, lovely gem. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 11, 2026
ISBN: 9780374393861
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
Familiarity breeds a birthday for the ages in this party worth attending.
Don’t let the Pigeon ruin his own special day!
Anyone who has ever encountered the title character in any of his books—whether his first, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (2003), or one of its many sequels—will understand that the bird’s innate self-love drives his every interaction. Little wonder, then, that he’s thrilled about his own “bird-day.” He has the hat. He has his “FANCY PLUMAGE.” And, best of all, he will get to blow out a candle “on my bird-day hot dog!” As he revels in the knowledge that this day is all for him, comeuppance is lurking. Someone has already blown out the bird-day candle—and eaten half the hot dog. It turns out that the Pigeon’s frenemy, the Duckling, has the same bird-day—as do a slew of newly hatched chicks. The Pigeon’s obligatory eight-panel freakout ensues. “What am I—invisible? I just want to be seen,” he whimpers, and when he receives some much-needed reassurance, he settles down and willingly shares his special day. While the switch from unapologetic narcissism to mature acceptance happens in the record-breaking span of two pages, the book is as enchanting as the Pigeon’s earlier outings. Even as it walks in the footsteps of its predecessors, there’s no denying the fun to be had.
Familiarity breeds a birthday for the ages in this party worth attending. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 31, 2026
ISBN: 9781454999621
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
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