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ARTHUR'S CAT

Name: ARTHUR'S CAT
Author: Johan Leynaud
ISBN: 9780802856586

by Johan Leynaud ; illustrated by Johan Leynaud ; translated by Sarah Ardizzone ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2026

A profoundly thoughtful look at the push and pull needed to forge a truly deep bond.

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Animal lovers’ enthusiasm for their pets knows no bounds.

Arthur absolutely adores his turquoise cat, Zeffo. He’d love to be around Zeffo all the time—bouncing on the trampoline, playing hide-and-seek together, or even giving Zeffo a new hairdo. Unfortunately, Zeffo doesn’t feel the same way, and each time Arthur attempts to connect with his pet, Zeffo flees. When Arthur picks up his beloved kitty one day, Zeffo reacts with a disdainful scratch. Ouch! After some time apart, they both realize that they can still spend time together—so long as Arthur is mindful of Zeffo’s boundaries. Author/illustrator Leynaud has crafted a lovely look at bodily autonomy. Translated from French, his elegant text explores the feelings experienced by both kid and kitty in terms that young children will readily appreciate (“Zeffo waits for / the days to pass / and the night sky to twinkle / so the sadness can shrink // and Arthur’s heart / can heal”). His pencil, ink, pen, and digital illustrations are comprised of black outlines set against a stark white backdrop punctuated by dreamy pastel clouds of color, giving the tale a sophisticated yet child-friendly look. Young readers with stubborn kitties of their own will relate to this pair’s journey as they come to understand the importance of compromising and giving others space when needed. Arthur is tan-skinned with hair the white of the page.

A profoundly thoughtful look at the push and pull needed to forge a truly deep bond. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: March 10, 2026

ISBN: 9780802856586

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Eerdmans

Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

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by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)