Cozy and relatable—Home is definitely where the heart is.
Poppy is tickled that it’s time for her first night sleeping away from home, but her house has other feelings.
It’s Poppy’s first sleepover at Mimi and G-pa’s house, and she can’t wait. Her bag is packed, her outfit’s perfect: “She was ready.” Poppy may be ready, but Home? “Home…wasn’t.” Home “started missing Poppy right away.” Even with others present, “Home felt hollow and echoey” without Poppy. “Home felt almost a little…sick.” Meanwhile, Poppy, enjoying the comforts and novelty of her new surroundings, is fine—until she isn’t. But Poppy and Home are both comforted by the realization that big adventures can be enjoyed when there’s “a good home waiting.” Scanlon and Vernick’s omniscient narration shifts focus between Poppy and Home, the contrast of their emotional arcs impeccably captured through emphatic page turns and tone. Miyares’ ink and gouache art depicts kinetic Poppy in warm hues, while Home, bereft, is cast in bruised blacks and blues, often floating on white expanses, with text tucked neatly on solid spaces. This reassuring blend of Adam Rex and Christian Robinson’s School’s First Day of School (2016) and Janet Costa Bates and AG Ford’s Time for Bed, Old House (2021) perfectly evokes the push-pull emotions of a significant childhood milestone. Characters have skin the shifting colors of the pages.
Cozy and relatable—Home is definitely where the heart is. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026
ISBN: 9780823457144
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Neal Porter/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
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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
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
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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