A tip of the cap to this droll tribute to the freedom that comes from getting out from under the toad.
Don’t let the pigeon snatch the hat!
Alas, it seems young Carol is doomed to go bareheaded—for not only does a pigeon get the rude, demanding live toad that habitually rides atop her billowing brown locks as she rides her bicycle around town, but the ersatz replacement she concocts out of a pickle and two halves of a hard-boiled egg too! Carol’s subsequent discovery that losing the bossy voice in (OK, on) her head leaves her free to go where she wants, say what she wants, and eat what and with whom she wants adds a message about the rewards of cultivating a voice of one’s own…but if the toads are supposed to be metaphors they’re obscure ones, and younger audiences at least will likely be satisfied just enjoying the silly bits. Large red eyeglasses make this White urbanite easy to spot as she wheels or paces through busy streets and crowded shops, past fellow city dwellers who are not only thoroughly diverse of race, age, and dress, but sport a wild profusion of headgear. Sharp-eyed viewers will also find plenty of business going on in the backgrounds and visible through nearly every window in the low-rise buildings. Shapiro may be channeling Mo Willems with the pigeon (and maybe Maira Kalman with the art), but this luxuriant, chapeau-centric appreciation of city living exudes a free-wheeling spirit of its own. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-17-inch double-page spreads viewed at 77% of actual size.)
A tip of the cap to this droll tribute to the freedom that comes from getting out from under the toad. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7352-6398-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
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
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends
Gerald the elephant learns a truth familiar to every preschooler—heck, every human: “Waiting is not easy!”
When Piggie cartwheels up to Gerald announcing that she has a surprise for him, Gerald is less than pleased to learn that the “surprise is a surprise.” Gerald pumps Piggie for information (it’s big, it’s pretty, and they can share it), but Piggie holds fast on this basic principle: Gerald will have to wait. Gerald lets out an almighty “GROAN!” Variations on this basic exchange occur throughout the day; Gerald pleads, Piggie insists they must wait; Gerald groans. As the day turns to twilight (signaled by the backgrounds that darken from mauve to gray to charcoal), Gerald gets grumpy. “WE HAVE WASTED THE WHOLE DAY!…And for WHAT!?” Piggie then gestures up to the Milky Way, which an awed Gerald acknowledges “was worth the wait.” Willems relies even more than usual on the slightest of changes in posture, layout and typography, as two waiting figures can’t help but be pretty static. At one point, Piggie assumes the lotus position, infuriating Gerald. Most amusingly, Gerald’s elephantine groans assume weighty physicality in spread-filling speech bubbles that knock Piggie to the ground. And the spectacular, photo-collaged images of the Milky Way that dwarf the two friends makes it clear that it was indeed worth the wait.
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends . (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9957-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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