bookshelf

THE DARK WOOD OF THE GOLDEN BIRDS

Name: THE DARK WOOD OF THE GOLDEN BIRDS
Author: Margaret Wise Brown
ISBN: 9781961341630

by Margaret Wise Brown ; illustrated by Ofra Amit ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 3, 2026

Mesmerizing.

bookshelf

A lesser-known story by the Goodnight Moon author is freshly illustrated for a new audience.

Even those most familiar with Brown’s beautiful and unsettling picture books will find themselves floored by this, arguably her most evocative, tale. At the edge of a mysterious woods, an old man sells honey and asparagus. The forest is home to golden birds whose lovely song can just be heard from its edges, but rumors say that those who enter never return, and when two children come to live with the elder, he warns them away from the woods. Yet when the old man grows gravely ill, the boy disobeys, entering the forest to bring back “the magic of the golden birds.” Brown’s exquisitely lyrical writing is that of an author at the top of her form; she infuses her narrative with enigmas as she grapples with themes of loss and death. An eerie, blue-infused half-light suffuses Amit’s art, ensnaring characters in the shadows of trees. In an afterword, Marginalian Editions founder Maria Popova, who rediscovered this obscure tale (long out of print), discusses its origins as a love letter to Brown’s difficult lover Michael Strange as she was dying of leukemia. Calling it “this crepuscular story aglow with love and longing,” Popova gives the book its long-delayed due. This is storytelling given free rein to turn up the weirdness, lyricism, and power of the written word to maximum effect. Characters are pale-skinned.

Mesmerizing. (Picture book. 7-adult)

Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2026

ISBN: 9781961341630

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Marginalian Editions

Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: today

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
TWO LITTLE TRAINS
by Margaret Wise Brown ; illustrated by Greg Pizzoli

- BOOK REVIEW
A HOME IN THE BARN
by Margaret Wise Brown ; illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

- BOOK REVIEW
GOOD DAY, GOOD NIGHT
by Margaret Wise Brown ; illustrated by Loren Long

bookshelf

LITTLE BLUE TRUCK LOST AND FOUND

From the Little Blue Truck series

by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18, 2026

Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.

bookshelf

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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S TRANSPORTATION

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK AND RACER RED
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
LITTLE BLUE TRUCK MAKES A FRIEND
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by Jill McElmurry

- BOOK REVIEW
TIME FOR SCHOOL, LITTLE BLUE TRUCK
by Alice Schertle ; illustrated by John Joseph

bookshelf

DOG DAYS

From the Carver Chronicles series , Vol. 1

by Karen English ; illustrated by Laura Freeman ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 17, 2013

This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...

bookshelf

A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.

Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.

This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)