An uneven introduction to a picture-book series about two unlikely canine pals.
A beloved beagle learns to accept a new canine family member in Grabscheid’s picture book.
Tricolored beagle Charlie feels secure in his household, a place where he’s loved and where he can sniff out whatever food he wants—that is, until black teacup dog Gigi comes barging in. She’s loud, she’s demanding, and she gets a little too much attention and lap time for Charlie’s taste. Gigi even dares to play with Charlie’s toys, when all he wants is to be left alone in peace and quiet. As they spend more time together, Gigi begins copying Charlie’s movements, until their play outside becomes an exuberant game of chase that brings the two of them together: “And bit by bit, a friendship started to grow. Trust and understanding take time, but these seeds they did sow.” This sweet story is part of a simultaneous release of three picture books in the Charlie & Gigi series by debut author Grabscheid. While the underlying story is endearing, the book is too light on plot and a bit too aggressive in its all-caps text formatting. Additionally, the framing scenes at the beginning and end that establish the narrative as a lullaby are confusing, given the lack of musicality throughout. TeriArt Design’s animation-inspired digital art is lovingly textured and warm as it brings Charlie and Gigi to life, relegating backgrounds and other characters to vague shapes and shadows.
An uneven introduction to a picture-book series about two unlikely canine pals.Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2026
ISBN: 9798995229605
Page Count: 32
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Sept. 3, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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
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