The vibes couldn’t be cozier, and the science shines.
Chillier weather has arrived, and six preschoolers are keen to learn what changes autumn will bring.
As the kids venture outdoors, Percival draws clear, enticing parallels between the seasonal preparations made by humans and those involving the natural world. Just as a fluffy apricot cat grows a “warm undercoat of fur,” children “pull on our fuzzy clothes to feel warm outside.” Flora and fauna serve as inspiration: A chipmunk gathering acorns spurs the children to triumphantly harvest their own garden goodies; watching a maple tree’s leaves move in the wind, the kids “wiggle and dance.” The author covers foliage change, hibernation, migration, and more. The closing statement—“I wonder what tomorrow will bring”—invites further exploration. With its tight focus on nature, decisive language, and copious labeling throughout, this one will be a boon to teachers and budding scientists. All readers will be drawn in by the stunning art. Woodcut-inspired digital illustrations are deliciously homey. Swathes of gold, maroon, crimson, and rust create a palette that could be summarized as “sweater weather.” Active spreads showing children jumping in crisp leaves contrast with muted images of salamanders and bats slumbering under fallen leaves and with radiant, star-dappled pages showing birds flying south. Cocooned in gloriously autumnal knit hats and patterned sweaters, the diverse group are sweetly spritelike. One uses a mobility device.
The vibes couldn’t be cozier, and the science shines. (activities) (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9780593888629
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Rise x Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sure to appeal to budding paleontologists everywhere.
Colorful, fun, and informative guide for pint-sized dinosaur enthusiasts.
Kid-friendly and more informative than most dino books for tots, this lift-the-flap dinosaur book is a great next step for any kid with an interest in the subject. Each double-page panorama—occasionally folding out to three or even four pages wide—is organized around types of dinosaurs or habitats. While most featured dinosaurs are land dwellers, prehistoric reptiles of the sea and sky appear as well. Dinosaurs are rendered in bright colors on a white background in a childlike style that makes even Tyrannosaurus rex not too terrifying. Make no mistake, though; the king of the dinosaurs is clearly labeled “CARNIVORE.” Folding T. rex’s head back reveals a black-and-white handsaw, to which the text likens its enormous, sharp teeth. Another marginal illustration, captioned, “Watch out! T. rex is looking for its lunch,” shows a Triceratops specimen on a plate. Yet another reads, “Crushed dinosaur bones have been found in T. rex poop!” Several racially diverse kids appear in each scene, like toddler scientists variously observing, inspecting, and riding on the dinosaurs depicted. In addition to teaching the difference between herbivores and carnivores, the book also conveys a sense of the scale of these prehistoric beasts: Diplodocus is two school buses long, a Triceratops adult is the size of an elephant, and a Velociraptor is the size of a turkey, for example.
Sure to appeal to budding paleontologists everywhere. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0809-2
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
A cheery board book to reinforce the oneness of babykind.
Ten babies in 10 countries greet friends in almost 10 languages.
Countries of origin are subtly identified. For example, on the first spread, NYC is emblazoned on a blond, white baby’s hat as well as a brown baby’s scoot-car taxi. On the next spread, “Mexico City” is written on a light brown toddler’s bike. A flag in each illustration provides another hint. However, the languages are not named, so on first reading, the fine but important differences between Spanish and Portuguese are easily missed. This is also a problem on pages showing transliterated Arabic from Cairo and Afrikaans from Cape Town. Similarly, Chinese and Japanese are transliterated, without use of traditional hànzì or kanji characters. British English is treated as a separate language, though it is, after all, still English. French (spoken by 67 million people) is included, but German, Russian, and Hindi (spoken by 101 million, 145 million, and 370 million respectively) are not. English translations are included in a slightly smaller font. This world survey comes full circle, ending in San Francisco with a beige baby sleeping in an equally beige parent’s arms. The message of diversity is reinforced by images of three babies—one light brown, one medium brown, one white—in windows on the final spread.
A cheery board book to reinforce the oneness of babykind. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-938093-87-6
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Duo Press
Review Posted Online: April 25, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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