A gorgeous-looking lesson that will satisfy kids and parents alike.
An illustrated children’s book about the interconnected life cycles of tropical rainforest plants and pollinators.
As the story opens, a “golden seed” drops from the sky and embeds itself into the bark of a tree, which, over time, grows roots and overtakes its host, becoming its own adult plant. This new fig tree goes on to bear fruit, and special fig wasps burrow and bury their eggs inside the figs. Those eggs will later hatch, and the spawn will go off and pollinate more fig trees in an interconnected cycle. Meanwhile, a chestnut-mandibled toucan eats a ripened fruit, deposits new seeds from a great height, and the cycle of life continues. On each page, a red-eyed tree frog plays a concurrent game of hide-and-seek. Fully illustrated backmatter further explains the life cycle of fig wasps and offers encyclopedic information about fig-tree species, red-eyed tree frogs, and, of course, the spectacular, aforementioned toucan. Ritter’s narrative offers condensed but informative text, sometimes from the point of view of the seed and, at other times, from that of the wasp. It’s as if one is watching a documentary narrated by English nature historian David Attenborough, to whom this book is dedicated. That said, the writing does perhaps rely too heavily on the refrain, “Something wonderful was about to happen,” which appears four times. However, debut illustrator Gonzalez’s immersive and meticulously detailed drawings elevate the rainforest story and will reward multiple readings. Each page is executed with scientific precision, and an entire canopy of forest greens and brown tree bark are shown in panoramic spreads. It’s a captivating amalgam of color and information that will keep young readers guessing and exploring. STEM advocates will also be very pleased to share this book with future plant lovers.
A gorgeous-looking lesson that will satisfy kids and parents alike.Pub Date: March 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-9998960-1-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Pacific Street Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note.
Little Honey Bunny Funnybunny loves baseball almost as much as she loves her big brother P.J.—though it’s a close-run thing.
Readers familiar with the pranks P.J. plays on his younger sibling in older episodes of the series (most illustrated by Roger Bollen) will be amused—and perhaps a little confused—to see him in the role of perfect big brother after meeting his swaddled little sister for the first time in mama’s lap. But here, along with being a constant companion and “always happy to see her,” he cements his heroic status in her eyes by hitting a home run for his baseball team and then patiently teaching her how to play T-ball. After carefully coaching her and leading her through warm-up exercises, he even sits in the stands, loudly cheering her on as she scores the winning run in her own very first game. “‘You are the best brother a bunny could ever have!’” she burbles. This tale’s a tad blander compared with others centered on P.J. and his sister, but it’s undeniably cheery, with text well structured for burgeoning readers. The all-smiles animal cast in Bowers’ cartoon art features a large and diversely hued family of bunnies sporting immense floppy ears as well as a multispecies crowd of furry onlookers equally varied of color, with one spectator in a wheelchair.
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9798217032464
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends
Gerald the elephant learns a truth familiar to every preschooler—heck, every human: “Waiting is not easy!”
When Piggie cartwheels up to Gerald announcing that she has a surprise for him, Gerald is less than pleased to learn that the “surprise is a surprise.” Gerald pumps Piggie for information (it’s big, it’s pretty, and they can share it), but Piggie holds fast on this basic principle: Gerald will have to wait. Gerald lets out an almighty “GROAN!” Variations on this basic exchange occur throughout the day; Gerald pleads, Piggie insists they must wait; Gerald groans. As the day turns to twilight (signaled by the backgrounds that darken from mauve to gray to charcoal), Gerald gets grumpy. “WE HAVE WASTED THE WHOLE DAY!…And for WHAT!?” Piggie then gestures up to the Milky Way, which an awed Gerald acknowledges “was worth the wait.” Willems relies even more than usual on the slightest of changes in posture, layout and typography, as two waiting figures can’t help but be pretty static. At one point, Piggie assumes the lotus position, infuriating Gerald. Most amusingly, Gerald’s elephantine groans assume weighty physicality in spread-filling speech bubbles that knock Piggie to the ground. And the spectacular, photo-collaged images of the Milky Way that dwarf the two friends makes it clear that it was indeed worth the wait.
A lesson that never grows old, enacted with verve by two favorite friends . (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4231-9957-1
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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