An enchanting tribute to a beloved holiday and warm acknowledgment that familial bonds are a constant despite change.
On the eve of an autumnal holiday, a young girl grapples with change.
Pearl loves to celebrate the Mooncake Festival (also called the Mid-Autumn Festival, which in many Asian countries honors the full moon), but this year proves more complicated. Her Bàba, a pilot, is away for work and won’t be able to swing her in his arms toward the moon; her older sister, Jiějie, is away at college and can’t make paper lanterns with her. And Yéye (Grandfather), who used to tell her the story of the goddess Chang’e, recently died. Māma explains that changes, even unwelcome ones, are a natural part of life. The arrival of Nǎinai (Grandmother) marks a turn in perspective as she unpacks ingredients to make traditional holiday foods, including the essential mooncakes. Pearl feels better; she begins making paper lanterns and chats by video with Bàba and Jiějie. “My moon’s gone from sight but still here,” Bàba says. “Just like Yéye,” responds Pearl. Pham and Nguyễn’s artful use of light and shadow brings warmth and depth to the characters, surrounded by textured sceneries. Their illustrations chart Pearl’s emotional arc as she finds joy and connection in long-held traditions, realizing that no matter what, her absent family members are always with her. Mandarin words are deftly incorporated throughout.
An enchanting tribute to a beloved holiday and warm acknowledgment that familial bonds are a constant despite change. (glossary, author’s note, more information, craft, recipe) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9798889837183
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beaming Books
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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