A sweet and funny mix of sibling dynamics and Yom Kippur traditions.
A youngster learns a lesson in contrition on the Jewish day of atonement.
Big brother Aaron treats Benjamin like a baby, and Benjamin is sick of it. But on Yom Kippur, being younger seems to give Benjamin an advantage: Benjamin doesn’t need to fast, but Aaron does. Benjamin takes every opportunity to taunt Aaron, even directing a lox-and-cream-cheese-scented belch at Aaron during services. Eventually, Benjamin takes the teasing too far, and Mom intervenes: “Apologize, right now!” Instead, Benjamin slams the door and refuses to speak at all. That evening at the synagogue, the rabbi blows the shofar, reminding Benjamin of times when Aaron was truly supportive. Benjamin decides to say sorry after all, and in turn, Aaron apologizes for calling Benjamin a baby. In true sibling fashion, Aaron returns the burp-bomb that night when everyone breaks the fast, but this time the kids are quick to apologize and laugh it off. Benjamin’s first-person voice occasionally sounds too adult, especially when trying to insert explanations of the holiday traditions. But Kirschner’s art enhances the protagonist’s emotional arc and supports pacing. Most pages use simple or monochromatic backgrounds that keep the focus on the characters’ expressions, while occasional pages with detailed settings encouraging readers to slow down at key moments. The family is dark-haired and pale-skinned.
A sweet and funny mix of sibling dynamics and Yom Kippur traditions. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9798217006410
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Rocky Pond Books/Penguin
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
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Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
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BOOK REVIEW
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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