Just the thing to turn scaredy-cats into caped crusaders.
Can a girl who’s afraid of her own birthday presents become a superhero?
Zoey Zoombeck looks askance at the yo-yo her brother, Aaron, gives her: “That seems unsafe.” And what if she tumbles off the bike from her two dads? Then Aunt Miriam’s package arrives: a purple superhero cape and a matching one for Afikomen, her cat. The pair don their gifts, and the next day, Zoey is a changed child. In Zoey’s imagination, the duo save kids from a train wreck, stop a rock avalanche from falling on a family, and rescue an older woman from a stampede of animals. Zoey becomes brave enough to ride her new bike, but later that day her cape goes missing. Abba (Hebrew for Father) sends her out to find Afikomen. She sees him…up a tree. How will she get him down? Without her cape, Zoey is afraid, but her love for her pet helps her persevere. This simply told story is imbued with an overlay of Jewish meaning; Zoey’s cat is named after the matzoh eaten at the Passover meal’s end, while backmatter explains the concept of ometz lev, Hebrew for “strength of the heart.” Zoey’s transformation and her wild fantasies should be useful in families with fearful children of their own. In Colombo’s bright, energetic illustrations, Zoey and Aaron are tan-skinned; their parents are slightly paler. Backmatter includes instructions for making a cape.
Just the thing to turn scaredy-cats into caped crusaders. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781681157153
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Apples & Honey Press
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
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New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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