A sweet social-emotional book that’s the cat’s (and the mouse’s) pajamas.
A scrappy rodent learns that logic can solve engineering dilemmas and social misunderstandings alike.
In a colorful Victorian dollhouse lives Emmie, a soft brown mouse. Her home is surrounded by pulleys and contraptions, bits and bobs, and even a sunflower, all of which allow her to eke out a tranquil, though solitary, existence in the attic, unbeknownst to the house’s human owners. An engineer at heart, Emmie approaches every problem with a solution-focused mindset and creates designs to make her trouble disappear. But her peaceful life is thrown into chaos when the homeowners adopt a fluffy black-and-white cat, who soon trots up to the attic. Though Emmie appears afraid, she bravely launches into problem-solving mode, sketching out designs for progressively larger and less feline-friendly robotic creatures to scare off the kitty. When the last creature gets the job done by dousing the poor cat in water, Emmie is briefly satisfied—until she realizes how frightened and sad she made her supposed enemy. The story resolves with Emmie apologizing before making amends. This strong messaging is reinforced through the illustrations, which introduce color gradually, beginning with Emmie and her home in the opening spread and ballooning to the entire attic space as Emmie’s world opens up to welcome her new friend, the cat. On the whole, it’s a welcome reminder that it’s just as important to be kind as it is to be smart.
A sweet social-emotional book that’s the cat’s (and the mouse’s) pajamas. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9781636551395
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Red Comet Press
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sadly, the storytelling runs aground.
A little red sleigh has big Christmas dreams.
Although the detailed, full-color art doesn’t anthropomorphize the protagonist (which readers will likely identify as a sled and not a sleigh), a close third-person text affords the object thoughts and feelings while assigning feminine pronouns. “She longed to become Santa’s big red sleigh,” reads an early line establishing the sleigh’s motivation to leave her Christmas-shop home for the North Pole. Other toys discourage her, but she perseveres despite creeping self-doubt. A train and truck help the sleigh along, and when she wishes she were big, fast, and powerful like them, they offer encouragement and counsel patience. When a storm descends after the sleigh strikes out on her own, an unnamed girl playing in the snow brings her to a group of children who all take turns riding the sleigh down a hill. When the girl brings her home, the sleigh is crestfallen she didn’t reach the North Pole. A convoluted happily-ever-after ending shows a note from Santa that thanks the sleigh for giving children joy and invites her to the North Pole next year. “At last she understood what she was meant to do. She would build her life up spreading joy, one child at a time.” Will she leave the girl’s house to be gifted to other children? Will she stay and somehow also reach ever more children? Readers will be left wondering. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 31.8% of actual size.)
Sadly, the storytelling runs aground. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-72822-355-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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