Confusing but joyous—like many real-life holiday celebrations.
Twenty-first-century families are complicated.
Michael celebrates Easter, and his stepsister, Anna, celebrates Passover, but this year, both holidays come at the same time. So Michael emails the Easter Bunny (at Easterbunny@19BurrowAve.com) for help. The Easter Bunny agrees to hide a special gift in Anna’s golden egg. The problem? None of the Passover-themed presents that Michael suggests will fit inside the egg, no matter how much the bunny squishes or squashes them—until finally they decide on the perfect gift…a piece of matzo. It’s refreshing to read a story about a stepfamily that has so little conflict. But some of the story details may puzzle readers. It’s not always obvious which character is speaking, and it would be very tricky for the bunny to place a piece of matzo inside the golden egg unless the egg were unusually large or the matzo were unusually small. The pictures don’t clear anything up, but they have a simple, childlike charm, with circles for people’s heads and wavy lines for their arms. Characters are tan-skinned. Readers may appreciate the spirit of religious harmony even if they have trouble figuring out the plot mechanics. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Confusing but joyous—like many real-life holiday celebrations. (holiday recipes, glossary of Passover and Easter terms) (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 31, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5107-6922-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out.
From the changing season to decorations and costumes, children anticipate Halloween.
Little readers will enjoy all of the familiar markers of the season included in this book: falling leaves, jack-o’-lanterns, Halloween costumes, candy, and trick-or-treating. Everett’s rhyming couplets bob along safely, offering nothing that will wow but enough to keep the pages turning. It’s Wen’s illustrations that give the most to readers, full of bustling scenes and lovely details. A double-page spread of the children in town in front of the candy store includes jars with individually drawn treats and other festive delicacies. The townwide celebration features instruments, creative costumes, and a diverse crowd of people. There are three children who appear as the focus of the illustrations, though there are many secondary characters. One bespectacled White child is drawn in a manual wheelchair, another has dark brown skin, the third presents Asian. The child in the wheelchair is shown as a full participant. Readers will enjoy spotting spooks like a vampire, goblin, and werewolf, as they sometimes appear in the background and other times blend in with the crowd. The familiar trappings of Halloween paired with the robust illustrations will have little readers wanting to reread even if the content itself is not startlingly new.
High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-0586-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
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
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