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MAYBE YOU MIGHT

Name: MAYBE YOU MIGHT
Author: Imogen Foxell
ISBN: 978-1-913747-86-2

by Imogen Foxell ; illustrated by Anna Cunha ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 4, 2022

This gorgeous book shimmers with hope and possibilities.

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Think of what you might do!

A brown-skinned child finds a seed. Imbued with conviction that maybe something can come of it, the child plants it in ostensibly hostile growing conditions, lovingly tends it, and then…the protagonist’s hope is realized, and the world flourishes. The child’s tender stewardship of the seed results in a tree that lays down roots and bears fruit to feed community residents and birds that now, with the promise of a renewed food source, return to the area. The seeds from these fruits are, in turn, planted and become new trees. In a very simple description of the water cycle, readers learn how, over time, abundant trees in an area can produce a river where once there was parched soil. Narrated in beautiful, uplifting, lyrical verse by the child, this lovely British import is about the glorious fulfillment of hope and supports the idea that one small person might change the world. The mixed-media illustrations are stunning and perfectly suit the text. The first spread is stark, featuring almost colorless depictions of the child’s nearly lifeless environs; even the color of the child’s dress resembles sand. Pages that follow, showing the seeds’ growth and the abundance of new vegetation and wildlife, explode with color. Vivid greens and blues predominate, befitting the theme of the world’s brilliant renewal. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

This gorgeous book shimmers with hope and possibilities. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-913747-86-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Lantana

Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S POETRY

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SPAGHETTI HEAD & CHICKEN FINGERS

by Rhett McLaughlin & Link Neal ; illustrated by Erica Salcedo ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2026

Wild and wacky.

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A picture book from the comedy duo known as Rhett & Link, creators of the online juggernaut Good Mythical Morning.

Lumo is obsessed with chicken fingers; Saffy, who is new to town and anxious about starting school, finds comfort in the only food she likes: buttered spaghetti. The night before the first day of school, a thunderstorm rages, and each kid makes a wish—“to have chicken fingers at school,” in Lumo’s case; Saffy wishes for “the first thing off the top of her head: buttered spaghetti.” File under “Be careful what you wish for.” Lumo’s and Saffy’s respective physical changes (chicken fingers for fingers, spaghetti for hair) make navigating school a challenge but bring them together in the cafeteria, where they enjoy some new foods—and their new friendship. The plotting could have been sharper: Why do the kids’ bodies suddenly return to normal? And couldn’t the authors have thought up a less old-hat story-ending punch line? Nevertheless, McLaughlin and Neal get by on their charm, and the plot sets up some funny visuals. Salcedo’s cartoony Photoshop art features well-chosen artifacts from a typical kid’s life and captures the mortification of not fitting in, which will be familiar even to readers who have never experienced breaded fingers or noodle hair. Lumo is brown-skinned and dark-haired; Saffy is pale-skinned with disheveled reddish-brown hair.

Wild and wacky. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: June 16, 2026

ISBN: 9780063474154

Page Count: 32

Publisher: HarperPop/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: March 23, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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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)