Succinct and effective messaging paired with darling illustrations.
Charlie and Charlotte Woodchuck are working hard on their hibernation preparations, but they still come to the aid of all their neighbors.
There’s plenty to do and only 10 days left before hibernation. Charlie and Charlotte are readying their den for winter when Bunny comes by, desperate for help harvesting carrots. Charlie offers his services: “Of course! We’re neighbors!” Charlie also offers to help Grandpa Goat fix his roof and to free Little Bear’s dad from a hole in the floor. When the Woodchucks are finally reunited, they have a lot to do to get ready for hibernation. To their surprise—and relief—all their neighbors show up to help, ensuring them a warm and cozy winter. The various animals are sweetly illustrated wearing little outfits with coats, plaid shirts, kerchiefs, and overalls. Their homes are a combination of animal burrow and human house, built into the ground, with working fireplaces and little bathrooms. Children will enjoy looking at these thoughtful details (dinosaur bones hidden beneath!) and taking in the action in each scene. The unnecessary rhyming stanzas that the animals sing, however, make for awkward read-alouds that readers may trip over. Otherwise, the story, originally published in Belgium and the Netherlands and translated from Dutch, moves along nicely while conveying a meaningful lesson about the importance of community and neighborly care. Preschoolers will surely appreciate the compelling artwork and adorable details.
Succinct and effective messaging paired with darling illustrations. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 25, 2025
ISBN: 9798890631114
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clavis
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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
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