A sweet, uplifting take on facial difference, friendship, and self-acceptance.
A child feels self-conscious about the birthmark on her forehead.
Mom says the birthmark is an angel’s kiss, and cousin Charlie says it’s a superpower. Still, the unnamed protagonist wonders how she’d look without the mark, which she’s named Toto. And when strangers ask about Toto, the narrator’s face reddens, and she “cannot say a word.” Pink-hued Toto and the narrator’s crimson cheeks stand out against the sepia-toned backdrops, emphasizing the narrator’s feeling that “sometimes people only see Toto, not me.” So when Mom proposes concealing Toto under the child’s bangs before school starts, she agrees. At school, she quickly befriends a girl named Niko. But when the narrator hangs upside down from the monkey bars, Toto is revealed. To the protagonist’s astonishment, Niko thinks she’s “just extraordinary”—“The birthmark on your face means that you have another life!” Later, the narrator muses that without Toto, “I might not look like ME at all. And I might not feel extraordinary.” Using short sentences and appealing kid logic, Yum, who based the story on a friend’s daughter’s experience and her own childhood memories of fielding questions about a birthmark on her leg, introduces young readers to the idea of facial difference. The narrator’s and Niko’s doll-like faces are endearing, conveying joy, embarrassment, and surprise through simple lines. The protagonist and her family have skin the white of the page and present East Asian; Niko has darker skin.
A sweet, uplifting take on facial difference, friendship, and self-acceptance. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 21, 2025
ISBN: 9780823453894
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2024
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available.
A ghost learns to appreciate his differences.
The little ghost protagonist of this title is unusual. He’s a quilt, not a lightweight sheet like his parents and friends. He dislikes being different despite his mom’s reassurance that his ancestors also had unconventional appearances. Halloween makes the little ghost happy, though. He decides to watch trick-or-treaters by draping over a porch chair—but lands on a porch rail instead. A mom accompanying her daughter picks him up, wraps him around her chilly daughter, and brings him home with them! The family likes his looks and comforting warmth, and the little ghost immediately feels better about himself. As soon as he’s able to, he flies out through the chimney and muses happily that this adventure happened only due to his being a quilt. This odd but gently told story conveys the importance of self-respect and acceptance of one’s uniqueness. The delivery of this positive message has something of a heavy-handed feel and is rushed besides. It also isn’t entirely logical: The protagonist could have been a different type of covering; a blanket, for instance, might have enjoyed an identical experience. The soft, pleasing illustrations’ palette of tans, grays, white, black, some touches of color, and, occasionally, white text against black backgrounds suggest isolation, such as the ghost feels about himself. Most humans, including the trick-or-treating mom and daughter, have beige skin. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-16.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 66.2% of actual size.)
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7352-6447-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.
Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026
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