Sweetly offers essential, timely lessons about aligning with those different from oneself.
Mip and Pip, two woodland fairies of drastically different dispositions, hold a contest to see which of them can build “the best tree house by sundown.”
The sprites’ physical and temperamental differences propel this familiar grasshopper-ant–style story. Mip sings loudly, has a flamboyant, flouncy mushroom cap on her pate, and spirits quickly about the forest looking for action. Pip reads architecture books quietly by himself, has an elongated green bud extending elegantly from his head, and deliberately plans. Yet they’re unquestionably best friends. Thought clouds show just how differently the friends think: Mip dreams up a colorful treehouse towering with turrets and flapping flags, while Pip pictures cornices and cupolas sketched out meticulously under typeset headers. When Mip’s overreaching, slapdash treehouse predictably teeters and falls, a timeless moral shines through the wreckage: Thoughtful planning and diligence pay off. Lesser stories stop here, but these fairies persevere together, connecting the remains of Mip’s house with Pip’s to make an astounding treehouse that combines both their visions. Young readers glean that antithetical personalities can work beautifully together and that contrapuntal viewpoints can produce an amazing synthesis. MacKay’s backlit dioramas, suffused with watery colors, glow gauzily. Moss greens and dawn pinks conjure the light-skinned fairies’ forest, a place that feels both familiar and faraway.
Sweetly offers essential, timely lessons about aligning with those different from oneself. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 23, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7624-6299-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: Jan. 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Visually sweet, though hampered by disjointed storytelling.
In this picture book from Fox News journalist Hall, a young hedgehog must find a way to protect his community when peril looms.
Hedgehog and his father both have busy days ahead. Dad’s on his way to the newspaper to report “what new news the news brings.” Hedgehog packs his backpack for an adventure, mindful of Dad’s rules: “Don’t talk to strangers” and “never ever cross the river alone.” Obeying the rules proves difficult when Hedgehog notices commotion on the other side of the river: A bear is hungrily eyeing Baby Owl, who’s fallen from her tree. With creative thinking, Hedgehog frightens off the bear and alerts Mama Owl, but the predator is still at large. So Hedgehog and Mama Owl create flyers to warn the forest residents. Though Motzo’s airy illustrations are pleasing—particularly the adorably animated Hedgehog, a tribute to Hall’s own children—the narrative feels bogged down with multiple themes as it attempts to explore the power of the written word, the importance of community, and the need to adhere to a parent’s rules. When Hedgehog apologizes for his apparent disobedience, Dad explains that Hedgehog never actually broke the rules; turns out it’s OK to cross the river in the company of an adult, and Mama Owl’s no stranger (she’s the town librarian, whom Hedgehog sees every week). The back-and-forth may leave readers confused; it also feels like a missed opportunity to discuss how to identify trustworthy adults.
Visually sweet, though hampered by disjointed storytelling. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9780063357549
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
Another empowering outing led by a dynamic young role model.
The third title in the Ambitious Girl series finds young Maya wanting accomplished women to get their due.
On a school trip to Washington, D.C., brown-skinned, bubble-braided Maya is full of questions, among them “How many representatives are there?” and, while checking out the statues and monuments, “Where are all the women?” Maya’s teacher tells her that they’ve seen all the “popular” statues and monuments. Maya is as dogged (“But what about Eleanor Roosevelt? Or Mary McLeod Bethune?”) as her teacher is dismissive: “Those aren’t on my list.” (Maya’s teacher follows the same list every trip.) Back at home, Maya is newly awakened to the lack of female representation in her orbit—she notices that streets and “even her own school” are named for men. Is there anything she can do about this? Maya’s teacher’s cluelessness feels a bit implausible, more like a plot device to steer the story in the right direction, but Maya’s righteous indignation is believable, and her corresponding activism will energize readers. Valdez gets into the spirit of things with her invigorating digital art: Maya and her multiethnic classmates and neighbors are colorful dressers with smiling faces, which fosters a sense that wherever Maya goes, a warm and ebullient community is there for her.
Another empowering outing led by a dynamic young role model. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9780316561341
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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