Nature appreciation for the youngest set.
Kids encounter magical surprises on a nature walk.
Dressed in bright rain gear, three racially diverse friends search for fairies. Are those sweet-smelling honey snowdrops fairies? One child is convinced that fairies lurk under a heavy rock, so the pals turn it over. No fairy. Instead…“A dragon!” (Actually a lizard.) Not to be deterred, another youngster points to a spot: “A cozy, snug table? For a fairy feast!” (It turns out to be “puff belly mushrooms.”) Though the kids have discovered numerous marvels, they persist with their hunt. Soon, they encounter burrowing bugs! Their disappointment’s keen: “No fairies at all!…No imps. No sprites. Not even an enchanted woodland spirit.” Are they shy? The children hear whispers with a passing breeze. “Feel the ground! It hums. It thrums!” They gasp, touching the earth; below, readers catch a glimpse of burrowing animals slumbering (among them, unbeknownst to the children, fairies snuggle). The friends, now wearing leafy garlands, happily deem the passing butterflies “fairy wings” and acknowledge the gifts left by the fairies: flowers, leaves, and stones. They leave behind a treasure of their own—items collected on their walk—then return home, bidding the fairies farewell. This magical story employs lovely language. Like music to the ear, the text dances, fairylike, off the tongue, demanding to be read aloud. Delicate, lush illustrations emphasize nature’s beauty. Different typefaces are incorporated, often set against soft-blue backgrounds.
Nature appreciation for the youngest set. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781536230710
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025
Clever inspiration for bold-hearted storytellers.
Get comfy! This storyteller has just the right tale.
A beige-skinned elflike protagonist sits in the dark by a small fire and invites readers to listen to “THE GREATEST BEDTIME STORY EVER.” Quickly, we flash back to a scene of the elf, in pursuit of literary inspiration, foolishly following an eerie sound to a cave. There, our hero meets a fire-breathing dragon who is unable to sleep without a snack. Fearing the worst (the dragon is eyeing the elf hungrily), the elf offers to tell a bedtime story instead. After the narrator writes and illustrates a story and then reads it aloud, the dragon falls asleep. On the verge of escape, the storyteller suddenly comes to a horrible realization: “I had left behind the Greatest Bedtime Story Ever!” Returning for it, the protagonist steps on a bone, awakens the dragon, and is devoured by the creature. We never do learn what was in the tale told to the dragon, but the one the elf relates is absorbing, an entertaining metafictional riff on the challenges of storytelling. The abrupt conclusion may disturb more sensitive youngsters, but many will find it great fun—they’ll enjoy rereads knowing that the protagonist is narrating from the belly of the beast. Sima’s appealing digital art slyly alternates sweetness (the dragon clutching a plush toy while listening to the story) with tension and even scares (a close-up of that toothy dragon maw).
Clever inspiration for bold-hearted storytellers. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 9, 2026
ISBN: 9781665974523
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
Powered by whimsy and nostalgia, a doggone adorable tale of superheroes transforming the world for the better.
Can flying puppies, fueled by people’s hugs, save the world from gloom?
Light-skinned Snarly McBummerpants is busy sending out Mopey Smokes (evil-looking dark brown clouds) from his volcano on the Island of Woe to create a sad state of affairs. But the caped puppies, each equipped with a rocket and hailing from “the outer reaches of NOT-FROM-HERE,” use their abilities to conquer the morose McBummerpants and bring happiness back to everyone’s lives. The meticulously detailed illustrations carry the story, dark colors turning to rainbow hues and frowns turning to smiles. From Big Brad to Tiny Brad, the smallest, most powerful puppy, who “[licks] a kiss right on the tip of Snarly McBummerpants’s nose,” these absolutely endearing pooches elicit a universal “AWWWWWWWWWW!” from all who encounter them. Joyce’s witty illustrations depict diverse children and adults who appear to hail from different decades. Two teenagers wear the bobby socks and saddle shoes of the 1940s and ’50s and sit atop a retro soda cooler. Other kids ride the skateboards of a later era. Laurel and Hardy, classic movie performers who may need introduction, are amusingly pictured as bullies turned florists (a little odd, since only Hardy bullied Laurel). Even McBummerpants seems reminiscent of an old-time movie villain. The text is less inventive than the pictures, but the message of good over evil is always timely.
Powered by whimsy and nostalgia, a doggone adorable tale of superheroes transforming the world for the better. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781665961332
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
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