Simply delicious.
Babies explore the world by tasting scrumptious and less than appetizing objects alike.
Every infant goes through it, but few board books have addressed, much less celebrated, the strange yet developmentally appropriate oral-sensory stage. Xiao showcases a diverse array of tots with round eyes, circular heads, and vivid facial expressions as they investigate their environments using their mouths. The results are immensely entertaining. While many would agree that corn and milk are indeed “yummy,” these ravenous little ones also nibble on a variety of nonfood items, including a ukulele; after all, “music is yummy.” Sillier items such as plants and crayons will make toddlers cackle, especially when a tot decides “my friend is yummy.” After a baby declares Daddy’s big toe “not yummy” (apparently even babies have limits), the book sweetly concludes with the little one discovering the “yummiest” thing of all: a breastfeeding session with Mummy. With its repetitive “…is yummy” refrain, petite trim size, and small handful of simple words per page, the book is ideal for lap-sit audiences. Adults in the caregiving trenches will relate to the absurdity of babies savoring odd objects, whether trying desperately to munch a goldfish or going to town on a delicious tabletop. Roomy gouache portraits of captivating cartoon-style babies glorying in gobbling on just about everything are perfect encapsulations of this occasionally chaotic stage. Subdued, harmonious background colors and thin black outlining allow the brighter-tinted babies to shine.
Simply delicious. (Board book. 0-3)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9781536242935
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
A memorable story of kindness, courage and wonder.
After being home-schooled for years, Auggie Pullman is about to start fifth grade, but he’s worried: How will he fit into middle school life when he looks so different from everyone else?
Auggie has had 27 surgeries to correct facial anomalies he was born with, but he still has a face that has earned him such cruel nicknames as Freak, Freddy Krueger, Gross-out and Lizard face. Though “his features look like they’ve been melted, like the drippings on a candle” and he’s used to people averting their eyes when they see him, he’s an engaging boy who feels pretty ordinary inside. He’s smart, funny, kind and brave, but his father says that having Auggie attend Beecher Prep would be like sending “a lamb to the slaughter.” Palacio divides the novel into eight parts, interspersing Auggie’s first-person narrative with the voices of family members and classmates, wisely expanding the story beyond Auggie’s viewpoint and demonstrating that Auggie’s arrival at school doesn’t test only him, it affects everyone in the community. Auggie may be finding his place in the world, but that world must find a way to make room for him, too.
A memorable story of kindness, courage and wonder. (Fiction. 8-14)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-375-86902-0
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2011
PROFILES
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
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