Just snuggle up and read this one already!
When Dad announces that it might snow, a child spends the day constantly checking for falling flakes.
Everything reminds the young narrator of snow, even the milk and sugar at breakfast. Though the child’s sister doesn’t really care, the protagonist’s imagination runs wild with plans of sledding, snowball fights, and snowman building, but “absolutely NOTHING” is happening outside. The child doesn’t see what the readers do. It may not be snowing, but the neighborhood is bursting with activity: A parade of bicycles (including a unicycle and an old-fashioned penny-farthing) zips by, a firetruck arrives to rescue a cat in a tree, and a troop of monkeys gets loose from a van full of safari animals. Inside, the child tries to keep busy but worries that it will never snow—imagine having to “build mud men…and go sledding on the grass…and make leaf angels.” Late in the day, Mom suggests the child look outside again. This time, it’s snowing, and “Nothing is as fun as snow!” But reading this story is a close second. While the text captures the restless excitement of waiting for those first snowflakes, the humorously detailed cartoon illustrations are the draw. Each page turn reveals a new action-packed scene that will have kids coming back for repeat reads. Dad is light-skinned, Mom is darker-skinned, and their two children have light tan skin; their community is diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Just snuggle up and read this one already! (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2023
ISBN: 9781947277984
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Flashlight Press
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A bit predictable but pleasantly illustrated.
Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault’s classic alphabet book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) gets the Halloween treatment.
Chung follows the original formula to the letter. In alphabetical order, each letter climbs to the top of a tree. They are knocked back to the ground in a jumble before climbing up in sequence again. In homage to the spooky holiday theme, they scale a “creaky old tree,” and a ghostly jump scare causes the pileup. The chunky, colorful art is instantly recognizable. The charmingly costumed letters (“H swings a tail. / I wears a patch. J and K don / bows that don’t match”) are set against a dark backdrop, framed by pages with orange or purple borders. The spreads feature spiderwebs and jack-o’-lanterns. The familiar rhyme cadence is marred by the occasional clunky or awkward phrase; in particular, the adapted refrain of “Chicka chicka tricka treat” offers tongue-twisting fun, but it’s repeatedly followed by the disappointing half-rhyme “Everybody sneaka sneak.” Even this odd construction feels shoehorned into place, since “sneaking” makes little sense when every character in the book is climbing together. The final line of the book ends on a more satisfying note, with “Everybody—time to eat!”
A bit predictable but pleasantly illustrated. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781665954785
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, springtime-themed reworking of a beloved tale.
The classic picture book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) gets a makeover for Easter as the letters of the alphabet locate and decorate eggs.
The mission is simple: “Chicka chicka peek peek. / Everybody seek seek! / Find all the eggs / in the pretty pink tree.” The letters are making their way up the flowering tree in search of the hidden eggs when a “SNEEZE!” scatters everyone and the eggs fall and crack. Luckily, a bunny hops by with a haul of new ones, which the letters then paint and bedazzle, eventually sharing the newly decorated eggs with a group of bunnies. This picture book is a successfully Easter-fied version of the original: The letters go up; the letters fall down. Truly, though, that’s all the preschool crowd needs. Chung’s illustrations are simple and familiar, a direct echo of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. The letters appear in colorful, bold, block form. The book has few added details, just focal images like the tree and its pink flowers, the colorful eggs, tufts of grass, and some friendly rabbits. The alphabet appears in order (both upper- and lowercase letters) at the book’s open and close. The rhyming text follows the iconic cadence of the source material, making for a worthy read-aloud that will keep little hands turning pages.
A sweet, springtime-themed reworking of a beloved tale. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9781665990646
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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