A gorgeously illustrated primer that introduces the basics of coral and its destruction by environmental changes.
McMahon’s illustrated children’s book follows a week in the life of coral as narrated by an inquisitive Polyp.
Polyp, a “tiny sea animal,” explains how its ancestors began growing in the ocean 485 million years ago. It is the animal that, along with Atoll (mineral) and Algae (plant), forms coral. Beginning on Sunday, the narrative follows the trio’s day-to-day experiences over the course of a week, beginning with an innocent and enjoyable “soaking in the sun.” But the coral reefs quickly become sick as humans, animals, and factories expel more greenhouse gases—and thus more carbon mixes with the salt water to create toxic carbonic acid. This increase in carbon creates warmer water, until the ocean is eventually so hot that Polyp can no longer collect enough food to survive. But by the end of the week, Polyp is saved when some turquoise Alga “snuggles in to churn the sun into sugars to revive me” as La Niña and new Alga patterns “bring the reef a brighter hope.” Simple text alternates with full-color paintings of ocean life, with a particular focus on coral and algae. McMahon, who both writes and illustrates the book, uses a muted color palette that nevertheless saturates the images with deep color; glimpses of brown, brainlike algae and brighter, warmer colors slowly give way to lighter creams and beiges as Polyp begins the process of bleaching. Certain characteristics conjure a unique sense of humanness: “Bleaching is when I turn white from losing my vitality. You would too if your partner leaves you.” McMahon occasionally lapses into an inconsistent, sort-of rhyme (“Thursday’s warmer water triggers Algae and I to bicker on our reef that is sicker”) that can be a bit jarring. But the rich paintings and evocative phrases (“an ocean volcano burped up a bubble”; “Algae huddles in my pink cup”) ultimately relay the vivid joys and sorrows of a unique resource in imminent danger.
A gorgeously illustrated primer that introduces the basics of coral and its destruction by environmental changes.Pub Date: Dec. 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781957696454
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Hummingbird Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note.
Little Honey Bunny Funnybunny loves baseball almost as much as she loves her big brother P.J.—though it’s a close-run thing.
Readers familiar with the pranks P.J. plays on his younger sibling in older episodes of the series (most illustrated by Roger Bollen) will be amused—and perhaps a little confused—to see him in the role of perfect big brother after meeting his swaddled little sister for the first time in mama’s lap. But here, along with being a constant companion and “always happy to see her,” he cements his heroic status in her eyes by hitting a home run for his baseball team and then patiently teaching her how to play T-ball. After carefully coaching her and leading her through warm-up exercises, he even sits in the stands, loudly cheering her on as she scores the winning run in her own very first game. “‘You are the best brother a bunny could ever have!’” she burbles. This tale’s a tad blander compared with others centered on P.J. and his sister, but it’s undeniably cheery, with text well structured for burgeoning readers. The all-smiles animal cast in Bowers’ cartoon art features a large and diversely hued family of bunnies sporting immense floppy ears as well as a multispecies crowd of furry onlookers equally varied of color, with one spectator in a wheelchair.
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9798217032464
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
