A somewhat dramatic addition to a series about animal conservation and social skills.
Lost in Africa, a cat mediates a crisis between baboons and leopards.
Still searching for her lost family in this fourth installment of Ussi’s chapter-book series, Casper is living in a tree on the African savannah. One morning, Henry the baboon gives her a rude awakening. He introduces her to a number of his friends, including James the guinea fowl, Charlie the squirrel, and Henry’s own twin babies, Joshy and Michael, who are full of boundless energy—and everyone accepts Casper into their community with open arms. It isn’t long before Sammy the baboon appears, distraught because his niece Evelyn is missing. The animals quickly form a search party for the one-armed baby baboon, whose disability has led the other children to brand her as “different.” Locating Evelyn isn’t very difficult; the problem is that she is holding a baby leopard, “the sworn enemy of the baboons,” when they do. To Casper’s horror, the adult baboons and leopards immediately fall in line for a showdown to the death. Casper jumps in, desperate to prevent what she sees as an absurd escalation of a harmless situation. Can she put a stop to years of conflict, even though she is an outsider? Short but enticing, this chapter book for early readers is educational without being overbearing. The story will particularly appeal to children who love animals and parents who want their kids to learn to speak up when something is wrong. While it remains unclear how Casper got to Africa (as well as which part of it she is in), readers will have little trouble situating themselves in the story, whether or not they have read the previous installments in the series. Bose’s illustrations are bright and colorful, clearly depicting each species with larger-than-life expressions that help break up the narrative.
A somewhat dramatic addition to a series about animal conservation and social skills.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781923356177
Page Count: 82
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Nov. 6, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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