The inimitable Alicia grapples with the problem of jealous friends in this wise tale from Jahn-Clough (Alicia Has a Bad Day, 1994). Alicia adores all of her friends; she plays soccer with Mitchell, paints with Charlotte, laughs with Henry, and explores entomology with Lucy. To demonstrate her powerful affection for these buddies, Alicia decides to throw a “best friend” celebration. However, her guests of honor demand to know which one of them is really Alicia’s best friend. Frustrated by her quandary, Alicia declares her dog, Neptune, to be her closest pal. However, she soon discovers the companionship of a canine falls short of human friendship. Jahn-Clough presents a familiar childhood dilemma with compassion and honesty. Readers struggling with this issue will find humorous relief in Alicia’s exploits and salvation in her ingenious solution to the problem. After much internal debate, Alicia declares each one of her friends to be a best friend in a particular category, declaring one to be her best soccer friend, while another is her best painting friend, diplomatically acknowledging each individual’s special attribute. The brightly hued illustrations sparkle with the energy and vivacity of Alicia’s personality. The cartoon-style paintings reveal Alicia’s turmoil while retaining a healthy dose of humor. Alicia handles a thorny issue with her usual panache; readers will rejoice in the return of this spunky, bespectacled heroine. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: March 24, 2003
ISBN: 0-618-23951-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Walter Lorraine/Houghton Mifflin
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2003
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Continuing to find inspiration in the work of Virginia Lee Burton, Munro Leaf and other illustrators of the past, Long (The Little Engine That Could, 2005) offers an aw-shucks friendship tale that features a small but hardworking tractor (“putt puff puttedy chuff”) with a Little Toot–style face and a big-eared young descendant of Ferdinand the bull who gets stuck in deep, gooey mud. After the big new yellow tractor, crowds of overalls-clad locals and a red fire engine all fail to pull her out, the little tractor (who had been left behind the barn to rust after the arrival of the new tractor) comes putt-puff-puttedy-chuff-ing down the hill to entice his terrified bovine buddy successfully back to dry ground. Short on internal logic but long on creamy scenes of calf and tractor either gamboling energetically with a gaggle of McCloskey-like geese through neutral-toned fields or resting peacefully in the shade of a gnarled tree (apple, not cork), the episode will certainly draw nostalgic adults. Considering the author’s track record and influences, it may find a welcome from younger audiences too. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-399-25248-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2009
SEEN & HEARD
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts.
In this latest slice in the Food Group series, Humble Pie learns to stand up to a busy friend who’s taking advantage of his pal’s hard work on the sidelines.
Jake the Cake and Humble Pie are good friends. Where Pie is content to toil in the background, Jake happily shines in the spotlight. Alert readers will notice that Pie’s always right there, too, getting A-pluses and skiing expertly just behind—while also doing the support work that keeps every school and social project humming. “Fact: Nobody notices pie when there’s cake nearby!” When the two friends pair up for a science project, things begin well. But when the overcommitted Jake makes excuse after excuse, showing up late or not at all, a panicked Pie realizes that they won’t finish in time. When Jake finally shows up on the night before the project’s due, Pie courageously confronts him. “And for once, I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it.” The friends talk it out and collaborate through the night for the project’s successful presentation in class the next day. John and Oswald’s winning recipe—plentiful puns and delightful visual jokes—has yielded another treat here. The narration does skew didactic as it wraps up: “There’s nothing wrong with having a tough conversation, asking for help, or making sure you’re being treated fairly.” But it’s all good fun, in service of some gentle lessons about social-emotional development.
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063469730
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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