A weak adaptation of the popular song.
A bevy of Australian beasts invite little ones who are happy—and know it—to join them in showing it.
Purple koala bears shimmy up trees and offer the opening lines “If you’re happy and you know it, // clap your hands!” Those who have heard this tune before may expect the line to repeat, but the next two spreads instead introduce googly-eyed orange kangaroos in a desert and march right into “If you’re happy and you know it, // stomp your feet!” The illustrations are unpleasantly loud, with pinstripe backgrounds and intense gazes from the animals. What might be baby wombats round out the singing animal crew with “If you’re happy and you know it, // smile BIG and really show it!” before abruptly concluding with “If you’re happy / and you know it, / clap your hands!” Starting the song over again with a reread is an option, but the book on its own feels like one verse instead of a complete tune. It is too short even for the youngest children, who need repetition to learn and mirror motions. It is too souped up in cheer even for a song about happiness. And the color scheme is disjointed, with the wombats shown in a more natural brown and the kangaroos and koalas in more off-the-wall hues. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A weak adaptation of the popular song. (Board book. 0-3)Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4867-2403-1
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Flowerpot Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 30, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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 pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character.
One of Boynton's signature characters celebrates Halloween.
It's Halloween time, and Pookie the pig is delighted. Mom helps the little porker pick out the perfect Halloween costume, a process that spans the entire board book. Using an abcb rhyme scheme, Boynton dresses Pookie in a series of cheerful costumes, including a dragon, a bunny, and even a caped superhero. Pookie eventually settles on the holiday classic, a ghost, by way of a bedsheet. Boynton sprinkles in amusing asides to her stanzas as Pookie offers costume commentary ("It's itchy"; "It's hot"; "I feel silly"). Little readers will enjoy the notion of transforming themselves with their own Halloween costumes while reading this book, and a few parents may get some ideas as well. Boynton's clean, sharp illustrations are as good as ever. This is Pookie's first holiday title, but readers will surely welcome more.
A pleasant holiday spent with a perfectly charming character. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: July 7, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-553-51233-5
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Robin Corey/Random
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
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