A marvelous celebration of inner strength and courage.
A young capoeirista learns to reawaken his ginga.
Anticipation blooms as the day of Lucas’ batizado, or moving-up ceremony, arrives. Dressed in his abadá, Lucas shows off his capoeira moves with each swift kick and arm swing. If he can demonstrate his finest moves to the roda (or circle) before Mestre sweeps him to the ground, Lucas will receive a new corda and a cool nickname. As Lucas practices, his little sister, Lilica, joins in, falling in the process. Tears come, and Mamãe consoles her: “It happens. We all lose our confidence from time to time.” Uh-oh. Will a suddenly nervous Lucas lose his ginga at the capoeira circle? At the park, the roda welcomes Lucas and his family, and the batizado commences. Lucas’ friends demonstrate their moves one by one until the Mestre calls for Lucas. Unable to move, Lucas grabs his dependable tamborim and drums to the rhythm—“tuk-tuk-tek”—to regain his ginga. Full of dynamic language set at a precise pace, Pastro’s cadenced prose builds up Lucas’ inner journey through the rush of initial excitement, anxieties of creeping dreads, and joys of eventual triumph. Similarly, Lopes’ superb artwork depicts the elegance of capoeira via larger-than-life stances and extravagant gestures, all shaded in warm colors. A quick addendum provides details on the historical importance of capoeira and its role in Afro-Brazilian culture. Lucas and his family read Black, while the capoeira circle is racially diverse.
A marvelous celebration of inner strength and courage. (glossary) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2024
ISBN: 9781665924771
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2024
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
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.
After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026
ISBN: 9780063436121
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
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