A heartfelt celebration of staying young at heart.
A friendly little blob eschews uniformity.
Based on the affirmational internet cartoon of the same name, this capable comic recounts Tubby Nugget’s relatable origin story. Tubby lives on Planet Nüg and leads a simple life with his loving parents, but as he gets older, the time for transformation approaches. When nuggets reach adulthood, they get dipped in gold, go to work, and no longer enjoy easy pleasures like savoring yummy snacks, drawing, and playing outside. Though this is a somewhat heavy-handed allegory for the soul-crushing slog of adulthood, it’s earnestly told, and Tubby’s such a sweetie, it’s hard to resist his emotional arc. When he declares he won’t be gold-encased—”What I’d like most is the chance to be myself”—a dramatic escape, aided by his supportive parents, ensues. Finally, Tubby departs his planet and tumbles into the arms of his earthly guardians, the creators of his online cartoons (one is pale-skinned; one is brown-skinned). The visuals are glossy, rounded, and accessible, with a few sci-fi set pieces and spaceships thrown in for good measure. While simple, it rings true. Who hasn’t felt the crushing weight of conformity and dreamed of a lighter life? Bringing the Tubby Nugget ethos to book form offers a fresh opportunity to share his comforting message with fans and readers of all ages.
A heartfelt celebration of staying young at heart. (map, sketches, authors’ note) (Graphic fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
ISBN: 9780593754313
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025
A pleasing premise for book lovers.
A fantasy-loving bookworm makes a wonderful, terrible bargain.
When sixth grader Poppy Woodlock’s historic preservationist parents move the family to the Oregon coast to work on the titular stately home, Poppy’s sure she’ll find magic. Indeed, the exiled water nymph in the manor’s ruined swimming pool grants a wish, but: “Magic isn’t free. It cosssts.” The price? Poppy’s favorite book, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In return she receives Sampson, a winged lion cub who is everything Poppy could have hoped for. But she soon learns that the nymph didn’t take just her own physical book—she erased Narnia from Poppy’s world. And it’s just the first loss: Soon, Poppy’s grandmother’s journal’s gone, then The Odyssey, and more. The loss is heartbreaking, but Sampson’s a wonderful companion, particularly as Poppy’s finding middle school a tough adjustment. Hartman’s premise is beguiling—plenty of readers will identify with Poppy, both as a fellow bibliophile and as a kid struggling to adapt. Poppy’s repeatedly expressed faith that unveiling Sampson will bring some sort of vindication wears thin, but that does not detract from the central drama. It’s a pity that the named real-world books Poppy reads are notably lacking in diversity; a story about the power of literature so limited in imagination lets both itself and readers down. Main characters are cued White; there is racial diversity in the supporting cast. Chapters open with atmospheric spot art. (This review has been updated to reflect the final illustrations.)
A pleasing premise for book lovers. (Fantasy. 9-12)Pub Date: May 2, 2023
ISBN: 9780316448222
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often...
A successful juvenile by the beloved New Yorker writer portrays a farm episode with an imaginative twist that makes a poignant, humorous story of a pig, a spider and a little girl.
Young Fern Arable pleads for the life of runt piglet Wilbur and gets her father to sell him to a neighbor, Mr. Zuckerman. Daily, Fern visits the Zuckermans to sit and muse with Wilbur and with the clever pen spider Charlotte, who befriends him when he is lonely and downcast. At the news of Wilbur's forthcoming slaughter, campaigning Charlotte, to the astonishment of people for miles around, spins words in her web. "Some Pig" comes first. Then "Terrific"—then "Radiant". The last word, when Wilbur is about to win a show prize and Charlotte is about to die from building her egg sac, is "Humble". And as the wonderful Charlotte does die, the sadness is tempered by the promise of more spiders next spring.
The three way chats, in which they are joined by other animals, about web spinning, themselves, other humans—are as often informative as amusing, and the whole tenor of appealing wit and pathos will make fine entertainment for reading aloud, too.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 1952
ISBN: 978-0-06-026385-0
Page Count: 192
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 1952
PERSPECTIVES
SEEN & HEARD
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