An appropriately spooky dive into a mysterious world.
What waits in the shadows of a whale fall?
A huge skeleton becomes a haunted house in this spooky description of what happens after a whale dies and sinks to the bottom of the ocean. A pair of colorful fish venture within, encountering a variety of dangerous creatures: hagfish slime, a goblin shark, a vampire squid, a female anglerfish dangling her light bait, octopuses, and even zombie worms. But wait, there’s more: “pinching crustaceans” and, finally, creatures such as clams that help finish off the bones entirely. Slate’s eerie exploration covers the same ground as Melissa Stewart’s Whale Fall (2023), but with more atmosphere and less depth. James’ digitally created illustrations support the sense of menace. Unusual hues and strange sharp shapes against a black background suggest the darkness and otherworldliness of the ocean’s midnight zone (between 3,000 and 13,000 feet below the surface; once a dead cetacean reaches this level, it’s considered a whale fall). The text operates at two levels. Simply phrased sentences follow the fish through the decaying bones, with language that reads aloud well: “Dart through ribs! Duck beneath the backbones!” Text in a more expository voice adds information about the creatures and the threats they pose to the tiny explorers. This would be an entertaining, enlightening selection for a Halloween storytime; it will also nicely round out existing collections of whale fall books.
An appropriately spooky dive into a mysterious world. (author’s note, information on the midnight zone and whale falls, resources, bibliography, QR code linking to a website about a whale fall site) (Informational picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781623545789
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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