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