While it is rare and refreshing to see a lesbian couple appear in a picture book outside the context of motherhood, the love...
This bilingual Spanish/English picture book celebrates an interracial love affair between two women.
Princess Li lives with her father, King Wan Tan, in a generic East Asian country where she frolics with a white woman, the red-haired, green-eyed Beatrice. When she refuses to choose a husband, the palace sorcerer obeys the outraged king’s demands, turning Beatrice into a bird. The two lovers are finally given Wan Tan’s permission to marry, however, after Beatrice-the-bird saves the king from being poisoned by the deceitful sorcerer. Repetitive, awkward prose (perhaps due to the translation) and cluttered, oddly distorted illustrations mar this already emotionally flat book that lacks either the visceral power of traditional folklore or the empowering message of modern tales. Although the moral is explicitly spelled out at the end (“Isn’t love more important than anything?”), readers are left with many questions both plot-related and philosophical. Why would a sorcerer so powerful need to resort to something as obvious as poison? Why must the author emphasize Li’s attractiveness to men? Why does the author repeatedly mention the same-sex aspect of the relationship but only obliquely refer to race (“Both were very different”)?
While it is rare and refreshing to see a lesbian couple appear in a picture book outside the context of motherhood, the love affair between Li and Beatrice isn’t likely to extend to their readers. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 10, 2016
ISBN: 978-84-944137-4-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: NubeOcho
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2016
Earnest and well meaning but not quite a touchdown.
In Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Hurts’ motivational picture book, a youngster rebounds from disappointment.
As Jalen heads off on his first day of school, he daydreams about joining the football team, but his friend Trey soon breaks the bad news. The garden club needed more space for vegetables, so the football field was used for planting. There will be no football this year. Jalen is despondent, but his teachers Mrs. Lee and Mr. Barry and bodega owner Mr. Muhammad offer guidance that spurs him and his friends into positive action. They work to flip a nearby empty lot into a football field, with Jalen echoing his mentors’ adages. Once the field is complete, Jalen feels a swell of pride in his and his friends’ work. While the idea of kids working together to effect change is a laudable one, the bland, wordy storytelling won’t inspire young people or hold their attention. Tired, cliched inspirational comments peppered throughout often slow down the narrative, and many adult readers will find the premise—a school dropping a high-interest sports program in favor of a community garden—wildly unrealistic. Though the illustrations are colorful, with a Disney Junior charm, strange stylistic choices, such as signs with odd combinations of scribbles instead of letters, give them an unpolished look. Like Hurts, Jalen is Black; his community is diverse.
Earnest and well meaning but not quite a touchdown. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 10, 2026
ISBN: 9798217040308
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
Visually sweet, though hampered by disjointed storytelling.
In this picture book from Fox News journalist Hall, a young hedgehog must find a way to protect his community when peril looms.
Hedgehog and his father both have busy days ahead. Dad’s on his way to the newspaper to report “what new news the news brings.” Hedgehog packs his backpack for an adventure, mindful of Dad’s rules: “Don’t talk to strangers” and “never ever cross the river alone.” Obeying the rules proves difficult when Hedgehog notices commotion on the other side of the river: A bear is hungrily eyeing Baby Owl, who’s fallen from her tree. With creative thinking, Hedgehog frightens off the bear and alerts Mama Owl, but the predator is still at large. So Hedgehog and Mama Owl create flyers to warn the forest residents. Though Motzo’s airy illustrations are pleasing—particularly the adorably animated Hedgehog, a tribute to Hall’s own children—the narrative feels bogged down with multiple themes as it attempts to explore the power of the written word, the importance of community, and the need to adhere to a parent’s rules. When Hedgehog apologizes for his apparent disobedience, Dad explains that Hedgehog never actually broke the rules; turns out it’s OK to cross the river in the company of an adult, and Mama Owl’s no stranger (she’s the town librarian, whom Hedgehog sees every week). The back-and-forth may leave readers confused; it also feels like a missed opportunity to discuss how to identify trustworthy adults.
Visually sweet, though hampered by disjointed storytelling. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 3, 2026
ISBN: 9780063357549
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2026
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