An homage to fond memories, friendship, the spirit of cooperation, and love of grandparents.
The china shop–owning taurine star of Clovis Keeps His Cool (2021) and Clovis Suspects a Thief (2024) confronts a rival business owner.
One morning, Clovis hears another shop being constructed across the street. Alistair, the new store’s elephant owner, explains that his “modern” shop caters to “classy creatures,” unlike Clovis’ store, which sells “old-fashioned” merchandise “for grannies.” Alistair invites Clovis to his grand-opening soiree that evening. Clovis hosts his own event, which he’s certain his loyal customers will attend; nobody shows. Clovis is undaunted: His “tea for Tuesday” event attracts crowds, but Alistair’s “Mocktail Tuesdays!”—featuring reminders that “Tea is for Grannies”—fare better. Clovis attempts other unsuccessful tactics, including hurling a football at Alistair’s window. He misses, then hides when Alistair brings his own granddad into his shop. Alistair’s grandfather fondly recalls Clovis’ Granny. Clovis notes that he runs his business—once Granny’s—in her memory. Clovis and Alistair now acknowledge that both shops once “coexisted. Run not by enemies, but friends.” They pledge cooperation and friendship thereafter. That evening, Clovis hosts a party; his friends bring their grandmothers, and Alistair returns with Granddad. This cozy story highlights the importance of compromise, getting along, and, importantly, honoring elders. Some adult sensibilities will elude kids, such as a modern shop catering to hipsters and serving mocktails. Still, the colorful, dynamic digital illustrations deftly evoke the protagonists’ expressive personalities.
An homage to fond memories, friendship, the spirit of cooperation, and love of grandparents. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 16, 2025
ISBN: 9798890033062
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...
Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.
A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.
The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: June 20, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-316-30311-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
