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FLUBBY WILL NOT GO TO SLEEP

Name: FLUBBY WILL NOT GO TO SLEEP
Author: J.E. Morris
ISBN: 978-0-593-38284-4

From the Flubby series

by J.E. Morris ; illustrated by J.E. Morris ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 21, 2021

No flubs for this cat and kid. Just satisfying bedtime reading.

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Flubby is back—but not to sleep.

What child hasn’t resisted sleep at one time or another? So it will make sense to readers that when Flubby gets a new bed, the fussy feline doesn’t want to sleep in it. Using the repetitive pattern of successful books for beginning readers, Flubby’s child-owner tries to solve Flubby’s insomnia problem four different ways, offering a new pillow, a warm blanket, a lullaby, and a bedtime snack—all to no avail. In typical cat fashion, the contrary cat finds his way back onto the child’s bed with a “Meow.” A few deft pen strokes convey both cat’s and child’s emotions and the child’s increasing frustration. Morris uses two spreads for each episode, with one page divided into two panels. At last Flubby solves the problem on his own, claiming the child’s stuffed animal to cuddle with in the dark. A culminating repetition of all the things “Flubby did not need” provides vocabulary review and leads to the satisfying conclusion: “Flubby just needed a friend.” The muted palette of grayish-brown, blue, green, and orange is well-suited for the bedtime setting. The text’s simple declarative sentences and repeated phrases use fewer than 50 words, almost guaranteeing success for new readers. Flubby’s child-owner is not gendered and has wavy brown hair and skin. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

No flubs for this cat and kid. Just satisfying bedtime reading. (Early reader. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2021

ISBN: 978-0-593-38284-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Penguin Workshop

Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS

- BOOK REVIEW
SHARING IS UNBEARABLE!
by J.E. Morris ; illustrated by J.E. Morris

- BOOK REVIEW
FLUBBY DOES NOT LIKE VALENTINE'S DAY
by J.E. Morris ; illustrated by J.E. Morris

- BOOK REVIEW
FLUBBY DOES NOT LIKE SNOW
by J.E. Morris ; illustrated by J.E. Morris

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THE PUMPKIN THIEF

From the Leaf Thief series

by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 28, 2026

More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.

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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

Categories:

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

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SUN THIEF
by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SNOW THIEF
by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BISON AND THE BUTTERFLY
by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nancy Leschnikoff

PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

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PETE THE CAT'S 12 GROOVY DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

by James Dean ; illustrated by James Dean ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 18, 2018

Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among

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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)