An engaging celebration of the differences that make us unique.
Two mushroom pals—one introverted, the other outgoing—find ways to honor each other’s personalities.
Fritz, a chanterelle, enjoys hanging out with friends, but he also values time spent alone. His bestie, Pip, an exuberant fly agaric, loves being the center of attention—the more friends, the merrier. Fritz sometimes wishes he could be more like his BFF and decides to “try having a very Pip-like day.” The friends start the following morning with “a giant game of berryball.” Then, accompanied by their pals, they take a swim in the puddle pool, make flower chains in the meadow, and blow bubbles in the violet patch. Fritz begins to flag, but Pip’s eager for a big game of hide-and-seek. Fritz finds an oak tree cavity to hide in, and when he’s discovered, replies, “Actually…I don’t think I’m ready to be found yet.” But after time alone, Fritz rejoins the group, feeling recharged. The day ends with a stop at the ice cream shop, where Fritz orders his favorite flavor, rose hip. In a sweet turnabout, Pip (who loves blackberry bramble more than anything) commemorates their friendship by also ordering Fritz’s fave. Laudably, Garrity-Riley’s introverted protagonist never feels pressured to change his nature; his pals allow him to be himself. Charming illustrations alternate among full- and double-page spreads and multi-paneled pages, providing plenty of winsome vignettes featuring subterranean mushroom homes, woodland flowers, and forest trees.
An engaging celebration of the differences that make us unique. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9780735264335
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
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)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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