A compelling, immersive, and wholly empathetic musing on home.
A blue van is home for a young child.
Old Blue is both a cozy living space and an opportunity for adventure, keeping the family safe as they roam the country from town to the mountains and beyond. Scenes of the family playing cards in the back of the vehicle while it rains outside and eating soup around a cozy campfire are depicted in soft, impressionistic watercolors, dominated by blues, golds, and oranges. It’s clear that the young protagonist, who narrates, feels sheltered here. Yet the child also longs for a “forever home,” especially when ostracized by classmates for this unusual living situation. The youngster finds comfort snuggling with Mama and exploring nature. Leaning into imaginative play, the child truly feels peaceful. An especially moving spread depicts the child cross-legged on the roof of the parked van, hair blown back by the wind, arms outstretched: “I’m never lonely when I imagine I belong to the wind.” Expertly capturing a child’s perspective, Judge’s matter-of-fact text is tinged with deep emotion—this is both a paean to a temporary home and a wish for more. Her sumptuous illustrations glow with warmth, inviting readers to linger. In the backmatter, Judge explains that the story stems from her own childhood experiences and provides information on housing insecurity, which will help adults explain the concept to children. Characters are light-skinned.
A compelling, immersive, and wholly empathetic musing on home. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 8, 2025
ISBN: 9781419771521
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.
Not even the arrival of autumn can cool down this impetuous squirrel.
Although Squirrel is skeptical about Bird’s vegetable patch (“Nothing is HAPPENING!”), Bird does produce five (count them) lovely pumpkins. Squirrel picks out a favorite: “The enormous orange one.” Bird hints that Squirrel might want to help out; Squirrel sets out to fetch some work gloves and returns to find only four pumpkins. The frequently distracted Squirrel notices more gourds disappearing and leaps to the conclusion that a thief is near. And where’s Bird?! Has Squirrel’s pal also been taken? Diligently detecting, Squirrel finds clues—peck marks, footprints, and more—and produces a sketch of the suspect. As readers will guess, each clue turns out to point to one of Squirrel and Bird’s friends. Turns out Bird was delivering pumpkins to their pals while saving the big one to give to “my very best friend,” Squirrel. But why does Squirrel haul it up a tree? “So the Pumpkin Thief can’t find it, of course!” A page of pumpkin facts provides the learning component common to all titles in this series. Once more, readers will enjoy the pleasure of prediction and repetition, Squirrel’s silly persistence, Bird’s generosity, and the vibrant color illustrations, balancing orange with green.
More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 28, 2026
ISBN: 9781464268076
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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