A vivid tale of intercultural friendship and understanding.
Author and illustrator Morrill offers a picture book about a friendship between two girls—one of whom lives in a World War II-era internment camp in Arkansas.
Sachi, a youngster of Japanese heritage, and Jubie, a Black girl, are best friends. Sachi and her family live at the Rohwer Relocation Center. One afternoon, the girls’ cloud watching turns into an opportunity for Sachi to teach Jubie about her heritage. One of the clouds, for instance, looks like a kimono to Sachi, and she runs off to find one for her friend to try on. Jubie appreciates the care and tradition associated with the garment, and she learns about an upcoming celebration of Obon featuring traditional Japanese dances. As Sachi describes the dance and hums the music, they each envision their hands as butterflies; a kind of magic takes over as Jubie dances. Afterward, though, the girls come back to the stark reality of the relocation camp. Morrill’s book is based on a scene from her novel for adults, The Red Kimono (2013). Here, the author’s illustrations effectively transport readers to the story’s setting, thanks to mixed-media art featuring watercolor characters and scenery, superimposed onto historical photographs. The story includes elements of story and heritage, but endnotes skillfully expand upon it with additional information for adults and older children.
A vivid tale of intercultural friendship and understanding.Pub Date: April 24, 2025
ISBN: 9781966675068
Page Count: 31
Publisher: Solander Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.
After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026
ISBN: 9780063436121
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
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