A vibrant tale about shining with confidence.
Kronenberg presents an uplifting picture book about love and self-worth.
The story is narrated by CATCH-M, a starlike spark born in darkness, and follows a fantastical path from fear and loneliness to awakening and connection. Children are invited to tune into their inner “braveheart,” face their feelings, and trust in their potential. Along the way, CATCH-M meets animals, such as Baby Cheetah and Zebra, who also struggle with difficult thoughts and uncertainty. CATCH-M offers simple visualizations, encouraging phrases, and easy-to-understand concepts from science and nature—such as how stars are formed and how the Earth’s magnetic pull works—to help young readers see that in dark times, love, imagination, and connection can light the way. Tejido’s illustrations employ bold colors and outer-space imagery, the book gently shares lyrical language and repeated affirmations (“I am extraordinary!”; “I love me”; “I can”) that give the book a reflective rhythm, encouraging readers to internalize its message. A mix of narrative, interactive callouts, and “fun, simple science” facts will also engage young minds. At times, the message becomes somewhat abstract and may be difficult for very young children to grasp, but older picture-book readers may find reassurance in its optimism. An author’s note, tying the message to her own childhood struggles and desire to help others “fill [their] heart[s],” adds authenticity.
A vibrant tale about shining with confidence.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798886453416
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greenleaf Book Group Press
Review Posted Online: July 23, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sure to have little ones giggling.
Jacques is a hedgehog with a big secret: “I wear real, bona fide underwear.”
Our narrator received a mysterious package one day; an illustration shows a pair of underwear tied to a balloon with a note “from the Universe” floating down into Jacques’ burrow. Hedgehogs don’t wear underwear, however. Will Jacques be shunned? Jacques worries but comes to a decision: “I have to wear them. When I do I feel special.” Determined, Jacques, who’s been invited to a party, makes a dramatic entrance, with undies in hand. Jacques’ declaration (“I WEAR UNDERWEAR”) is met with remarks of dismay, before another hedgehog opens up about similar fears and shows off a pair of cowboy boots. More hedgehogs introduce themselves with their own confessions. The story ends with Jacques unveiling a painting of the underwear in a gallery filled with hedgehogs wearing all sorts of attire. Though the book is simple in plot, characters, and setting, it wins in its balance of bathroom humor, dramatic storytelling, and celebrations of individual expression. French words are peppered throughout, adding to the fun without detracting from the story for those unfamiliar with the language. The cartoonish illustrations brim with fun; Valdez relies heavily on geometric shapes (triangle noses for the hedgehogs; huge circles for their eyes). Details such as speech bubbles and recurring turtle and snake characters contribute to the outlandish humor.
Sure to have little ones giggling. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781250814388
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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