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A FOREST BEGINS ANEW

Name: A FOREST BEGINS ANEW
Author: Louise M. Aamodt
ISBN: 9781662620065

by Louise M. Aamodt ; illustrated by Ella MacKay ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 12, 2026

A beautiful testament to nature’s—and our own—ability to flourish after devastation.

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A devastating wildfire transforms into a story of ecological resilience and hope in this lyrical meditation on nature’s capacity for renewal.

Using cumulative verse reminiscent of “The House That Jack Built,” Aamodt chronicles a forest’s journey from lightning strike through conflagration to rebirth. The rhythm builds momentum through repetition and strategic line breaks while onomatopoeia adds tactile energy (“Tack! Tack! Tack!” “Ker-SPLASH”). The narrative begins ominously with dry clouds and parched land before pivoting dramatically: “Dead? No. Not dead at all!” “Pine cones unseal,” releasing seeds “finally, / finally, / FINALLY freed / by the heat of the fire.” MacKay’s distinctive three-dimensional paper art, photographed as layered dioramas crafted from ink, pencil, and cut paper, creates depth and atmosphere. Her palette tells the emotional story: Menacing grays and blues during the lightning strike explode into ferocious oranges, reds, and yellows as flames consume the forest, then transition through muted ash-grays and browns before bursting into hopeful pinks, greens, and soft golden light as life returns. Compositional choices amplify the narrative arc—tight, claustrophobic framing during the fire’s fury gives way to sweeping, expansive vistas as renewal takes hold. The layered paper technique creates theatrical dimensionality, with silhouetted deer bounding across smoky backgrounds and delicate wildflowers rising in the foreground. Human helpers appear throughout—smoke jumpers, scientists, diverse volunteers planting seedlings—anchoring ecological science in community action.

A beautiful testament to nature’s—and our own—ability to flourish after devastation. (author’s note, more information on forest fires, resources) (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: May 12, 2026

ISBN: 9781662620065

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Astra Young Readers

Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

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THE PUMPKIN THIEF

From the Leaf Thief series

by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 28, 2026

More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SUN THIEF
by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SNOW THIEF
by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater

- BOOK REVIEW
THE BISON AND THE BUTTERFLY
by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nancy Leschnikoff

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THE HALLOWEEN TREE

by Susan McElroy Montanari ; illustrated by Teresa Martínez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 6, 2019

Just the thing for anyone with a Grinch-y tree of their own in the yard.

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A grouchy sapling on a Christmas tree farm finds that there are better things than lights and decorations for its branches.

A Grinch among the other trees on the farm is determined never to become a sappy Christmas tree—and never to leave its spot. Its determination makes it so: It grows gnarled and twisted and needle-less. As time passes, the farm is swallowed by the suburbs. The neighborhood kids dare one another to climb the scary, grumpy-looking tree, and soon, they are using its branches for their imaginative play, the tree serving as a pirate ship, a fort, a spaceship, and a dragon. But in winter, the tree stands alone and feels bereft and lonely for the first time ever, and it can’t look away from the decorated tree inside the house next to its lot. When some parents threaten to cut the “horrible” tree down, the tree thinks, “Not now that my limbs are full of happy children,” showing how far it has come. Happily for the tree, the children won’t give up so easily, and though the tree never wished to become a Christmas tree, it’s perfectly content being a “trick or tree.” Martinez’s digital illustrations play up the humorous dichotomy between the happy, aspiring Christmas trees (and their shoppers) and the grumpy tree, and the diverse humans are satisfyingly expressive.

Just the thing for anyone with a Grinch-y tree of their own in the yard. (Picture book. 4-8)