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 hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
The runaway cookie in this Mexican bakery is a soft, brown, stubby-tailed piglet as impertinently bold and smug in his continual escape as his Gingerbread Boy cousin. “Chase me! Chase me down the street. But this is one piggy you won’t get to eat! / ¡Córrele, córrele! ¡Y Córrele más! ¡Soy el cochinito que jamás comerás!” This bouncy dual refrain extends the familiar cumulative text, rendered in both English and Spanish, as piggy manages to elude Marta the baker, Lorenzo the mechanic, Mamá Nita the beautician, Joaquín the telephone repairman and a host of other neighborhood adults—until he is outsmarted by Rosa, a little girl on her way to school, who foxily “helps him” cross the street. Safely tucked into her backpack, piggy is both a welcome surprise and an excuse for Rosa’s lateness to class. Deep opaque acrylic paintings of a colorful barrio and its residents in pursuit add the right amount of cultural flavor to this vivid Latino retelling. Recipe appended. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55885-586-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Piñata Books/Arte Público
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2010
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