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WANDA THE WARTHOG WHO WORRIED

Name: WANDA THE WARTHOG WHO WORRIED
Author: Frances Stickley
ISBN: 9798347102297

by Frances Stickley ; illustrated by Chris Chatterton ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 28, 2026

An enthusiastic reminder to embrace one’s true self wholeheartedly.

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A warthog learns the key to a satisfying life.

Deep in the jungle resides exuberant Wanda, who is uniquely herself: “hair-sprouting, rule-flouting, / treasured and tusked.” Her animal friends marvel at her generosity, humor, and upbeat nature: She’s a true “one in a million.” But early one morning, a flock of macaws flies across the sky as the awe-inspired jungle residents watch. Eager to make a good impression, Wanda rolls around in the mud and excitedly greets the new arrivals with treats, much to the indifference of the macaws. Disappointed, Wanda makes the fatal error of comparing herself to others (“Why do they sing while I snuffle and grunt? / Why do they soar while I stumble and trot?”), spurring an existential crisis. After a string of humorous attempts to mimic the macaws, Wanda’s true friends remind her that she’s perfect just the way she is. Young readers will relate to Wanda’s spectrum of emotions, from confidence to inadequacy and back to pride. Stickley’s lengthy rhyming text borders on the verbose, at times creating a busy, cramped look on the page. But Chatterton’s expressive, scribbly art is the true draw; whether beaming or wallowing in a funk, unibrowed Wanda’s a scene-stealer. While the ending is slightly didactic, adults seeking a way to encourage young people to be themselves will find the book useful.

An enthusiastic reminder to embrace one’s true self wholeheartedly. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: July 28, 2026

ISBN: 9798347102297

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT WILL I BE?
by Frances Stickley ; illustrated by Lucy Fleming

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THE MOUSE'S APPLES
by Frances Stickley ; illustrated by Kristyna Litten

- BOOK REVIEW
LOVE YOU ALWAYS
by Frances Stickley ; illustrated by Migy Blanco

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK LOST AND FOUND

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18, 2026

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.

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Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.

After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026

ISBN: 9780063436121

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)