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THE VICIOUS CYCLE

Name: THE VICIOUS CYCLE
Author: Kyle Lukoff
ISBN: 9781250345615

A STORY OF HEALING

by Kyle Lukoff ; illustrated by Priscilla Tey ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 6, 2026

With no villains but one’s own psyche, this tale is bound to hit a chord far beyond its intended young readership.

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The ruts we work ourselves into take a literal turn in this cyclical tale set against the backdrop of a summer fair.

“Nobody rode the unicycle.” Though it stands near a bike rental area, it proves too temperamental for most people. After all, it only goes in circles, it can be moody, it goes too fast when it’s scared, and it’s prone to getting stuck. Over time the rut surrounding the unicycle gets deeper and deeper…until one day young Emily notices the unicycle. She doesn’t want to ride it, just join it. Modeling a supportive friendship over a long period of time, Lukoff deftly exemplifies what it means to befriend someone who may need a little help getting out of the metaphorical ruts they make for themselves. At the end, the unicycle returns to its rut, but now it knows “how to get out, all by itself.” Children will find this an appealing unlikely friendship story. Adults will recognize that this tale acknowledges the necessity of making connection when attempting to get out of (in this case, literal) depressions of one’s own making—and with guidance, youngsters will be able to make parallels between the narrative and real life. Tey’s beautiful watercolors expertly depict a unicycle that has no facial features but nevertheless brims with emotion. Emily is brown-skinned; the community is diverse.

With no villains but one’s own psyche, this tale is bound to hit a chord far beyond its intended young readership. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026

ISBN: 9781250345615

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Henry Holt

Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
ARE YOU A FRIEND OF DOROTHY?
by Kyle Lukoff ; illustrated by Levi Hastings

- BOOK REVIEW
MY LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK ABOUT PRIDE
by Kyle Lukoff ; illustrated by Michelle Jing Chan

- BOOK REVIEW
A WORLD WORTH SAVING
by Kyle Lukoff

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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THE PUMPKIN THIEF

From the Leaf Thief series

by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 28, 2026

More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.

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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)