A simple bilingual tale that deftly interweaves themes of imagination, friendship, and nature.
In author/illustrator Baker’s English- and Spanish-language picture book, a young girl’s whimsical friend explores the nocturnal world.
When Lucy goes to sleep at night, Gardenia, her tiny “garden friend,” sets out for the nighttime world. Equipped with an acorn-top hat and a curious mind, Gardenia explores the starlit garden with all five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. Though grounded in nature, the story leaps to imaginative heights when Gardenia takes flight on the back of an owl. Later, at sunrise, Gardenia recounts her fantastical findings to Lucy. The story is told in English and Spanish text; both languages appear alongside each other, accompanying Baker’s full-page, botanically detailed pastel illustrations. Overall, the tale presents a natural world that’s full of splendor and wonder, and its whimsical nature is enhanced by the use of rhyming couplets (which the author isn’t always able to preserve in Spanish). The last page is a call for readers to create their own “garden friends” with crafting materials, and backmatter includes bilingual instructions, along with a QR code that links to video. The book also includes sheet music with lyrics for an original song, “Dear Garden Friend.” The array of after-reading activities will spark children’s imaginations while teaching them concrete skills.
A simple bilingual tale that deftly interweaves themes of imagination, friendship, and nature.Pub Date: July 10, 2025
ISBN: 9798992654530
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Garden Friend Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 11, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.
Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.
The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
Warm but underdone.
In this picture book from actor Gyllenhaal and his partner, Caruso, a child and his uncle bond on a fantastic journey.
Leo, an avid dancer, is dismayed when Uncle Mo visits—he’s in town for a “rubber band convention.” Illustrations show both with wavy brown hair and light tan skin. Not only does Leo think his uncle is rather dull, he’s also leery of Uncle Mo’s many rules. A rather abrupt narrative shift occurs when the pair inexplicably drive into another dimension. Here they encounter Great-Aunt Gloria (who is very tall and presents Black) and Uncle Munkle Carbunkle (who is very short and light-skinned), who guide them through the Secret Society of Aunts & Uncles. Unimpressed with Uncle Mo, Great-Aunt Gloria says he must take a quiz on “Auntieology and Uncleology.” After several wrong answers, Uncle Mo has a final chance at redemption: He must state his nephew’s favorite activity. When Leo springs into action to dance for his clueless uncle, a mishap leaves him mortified and un-bespectacled. Enter Uncle Mo to save the day by using a rubber band to secure Leo’s glasses. While Santat’s energetic illustrations do much to clarify the narrative, they can’t fully make up for the disjointed storytelling—it’s never clear why the two have entered this dimension or why Leo is suddenly so eager to help Uncle Mo. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Warm but underdone. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781250776990
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
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