Powerful in its vulnerability.
Kim is tough, just like her mum.
But today Mum’s staying in bed, with the blanket wrapped tightly around her. Kim pulls her thumb out of her mouth (before Mum can see it there) and gets up to start the day. She prepares her lunch bag and checks her homework. Almost ready. But Mum forgot to sign Kim’s field-trip form! “Don’t start on me, Kim!” says Mum, who’s still curled up in bed. What can Kim do? Grab some spare change for the field trip. Not enough to cover the $6, but “maybe Mrs. Jones won’t notice.” The school day brings its pleasures and pains—Mrs. Jones does call out the incomplete form—but Kim keeps her composure, like Mum seems to do. Returning home, Kim sees that Mum’s “at the table wearing what she slept in last night.” Maybe some tomato soup can help. “Eat. You’ll feel better,” insists Kim. It’s a small gesture, but it finally cuts through the gloom that surrounds her mum. Button elevates these tender moments thanks to a keen sense of compassion for her characters, underlining that even the most seemingly mundane moments can have an impact. Buried within this showcase of a loving mother-daughter relationship is the potential catharsis of grappling with accepting help. Mok’s compassionate gouache artwork—full of muted colors, gently curving lines, and arresting facial expressions—enfolds this tale in its earnest embrace. Mostly light-skinned characters fill out the cast, including Kim and her mum. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-16.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 82% of actual size.)
Powerful in its vulnerability. (Picture book. 4-10)Pub Date: April 13, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-7352-6598-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note.
Little Honey Bunny Funnybunny loves baseball almost as much as she loves her big brother P.J.—though it’s a close-run thing.
Readers familiar with the pranks P.J. plays on his younger sibling in older episodes of the series (most illustrated by Roger Bollen) will be amused—and perhaps a little confused—to see him in the role of perfect big brother after meeting his swaddled little sister for the first time in mama’s lap. But here, along with being a constant companion and “always happy to see her,” he cements his heroic status in her eyes by hitting a home run for his baseball team and then patiently teaching her how to play T-ball. After carefully coaching her and leading her through warm-up exercises, he even sits in the stands, loudly cheering her on as she scores the winning run in her own very first game. “‘You are the best brother a bunny could ever have!’” she burbles. This tale’s a tad blander compared with others centered on P.J. and his sister, but it’s undeniably cheery, with text well structured for burgeoning readers. The all-smiles animal cast in Bowers’ cartoon art features a large and diversely hued family of bunnies sporting immense floppy ears as well as a multispecies crowd of furry onlookers equally varied of color, with one spectator in a wheelchair.
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9798217032464
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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