A fresh, funny twist on found family that celebrates love, acceptance, and the magic of getting exactly what you wish for.
A street cat’s quest for a home takes an unexpectedly hilarious turn.
Mike, a fluffy gray stray, has been searching for the perfect family. Older companions Annabell and Rose seem ideal, with their friendly faces, generous supply of tuna cans, and “hands just right for belly scratches.” But when the pair argue over who will take responsibility for Mike (“I can’t look after a cat! I already have a parrot.” “No, you don’t!”), Rose makes a wish for a parrot (“Then you’d have to take care of this darn cat”), and Mike suddenly coughs up a bright yellow bird. More wishes ensue…but Mike worries: What if his wishes go wrong? Takac’s friendly artwork employs sweet, rounded, soft shapes that create warmth and comfort, while dynamic diagonal compositions during the transformation scenes generate energy and movement. The illustrations reward multiple readings with delightful background details and visual jokes. Mixed text formats—traditional narrative combined with comics-style speech bubbles—create an engaging reading experience that bridges the picture-book and early graphic novel formats. Takac cleverly puts a fresh spin on the typical “pet needs a home” narrative by exploring what happens when wishes go awry, leading to wonderfully absurd situations and offering silly visual gags for young readers while providing more sophisticated humor for older ones. Rose is brown-skinned, while Annabell is pale-skinned.
A fresh, funny twist on found family that celebrates love, acceptance, and the magic of getting exactly what you wish for. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781454954019
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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