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ALL ABOUT BRAINS

Name: ALL ABOUT BRAINS
Author: Lake Bell
ISBN: 9781665906753

A BOOK ABOUT PEOPLE

by Lake Bell ; illustrated by Rachel Katstaller ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 15, 2025

Encouraging.

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Children expound on how their brains make them special.

On “share day” at school, Nova nervously reveals that she has epilepsy. Seizures, which Nova calls “brain sparkles,” make her stutter and shake, and “it feels like you can’t see and can’t talk.” Teacher Robin explains that all brains are different, but some are “especially unique.” She adds, “That uniqueness is called neurodivergence, which absolutely can cause challenges but also creates cool strengths.” Nova’s classmates share their own experiences. Isaac, who’s autistic, tends to focus heavily on interests such as flowers; Phoenix’s ADHD makes it hard for her to sit still, but running helps calm her “swirling” thoughts—and her speed is impressive. Teacher Robin—whose obsessive-compulsive disorder keeps the classroom tidy—names various neurodivergent celebrities, including gymnast Simone Biles and soccer player David Beckham. Cheered, Nova realizes brains are “all…magic. We love our brains, and we want to make sure they’re happy.” While some dialogue feels stilted, Nova’s classmates’ banter adds humor, and the positive tone will inspire many neurodivergent readers to find their own “superpowers.” Katstaller’s big-eyed cartoon illustrations vividly express the distinctive personalities of Nova and her classmates. Nova and her family are light-skinned, Teacher Robin presents Black, and the class is diverse. In an author’s note, Bell mentions that her protagonist is based on her own daughter, who was also diagnosed with epilepsy.

Encouraging. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: April 15, 2025

ISBN: 9781665906753

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S HEALTH & DAILY LIVING | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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LITTLE BLUE TRUCK LOST AND FOUND

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18, 2026

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.

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Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.

After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026

ISBN: 9780063436121

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

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TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

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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)