Just lovely.
A little bird gets ready for something big.
Something is different today—Sparrow can feel it in the fullness of her belly. She flies around Jerusalem, looking for something special to bring back to her home, a nest in a crack in the Western Wall. She sees the usual—people praying, bread and fruit stands, a ritual handwashing station—but none offers the special object she is seeking. Finally, Sparrow finds pieces of paper with prayers written on them, tucked into the wall’s crevices by its human visitors, and takes some to soften her nest in anticipation of the special event: laying an egg “so warm, so big, she can hardly believe she had carried it inside for so long.” The poignance of this story will likely be apparent to adult readers, particularly those who recognize the inclusion of holy sites significant not only to Judaism but also to Christianity and Islam (among them the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Dome of the Rock). Children may not fully understand the book’s metaphor: a new life representing hope (sparrow sounds like spero, which means “I hope” in Latin) in a place associated with religious tumult and conflict. Still, Tebo’s writing flows beautifully, pairing seamlessly with Lewis’ exceptionally gorgeous, impressionistic watercolors, making this book a strong choice for reading aloud. Backmatter provides context for some of the places seen in the book, as well as for the tradition of stuffing prayers and wishes into the Western Wall’s cracks.
Just lovely. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2025
ISBN: 9781635926880
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Astra Young Readers
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2026
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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