Mistakenly places emphasis on appearances over millions of other ways people can be unique.
A young boy is surprised to learn others are also named Max.
“The one and only Max,” an affectionate moniker given to him by his parents, is reinforced by iterations of his name emblazoned all over his room. During a visit to the park, Max is shocked to discover two other children answering to Max: a Black girl on roller skates and a White child on a scooter. Putting his confusion and discomfort aside, Max volunteers to help roller-skating Max find her pink pine cone. All three Maxes jubilantly scour the park searching for the missing item. Working together has warmed the formerly one-and-only Max to the existence of more Maxes. Later he corrects his parents, explaining he’s one of many Maxes, and despite the shared name, each Max is different in their own way. Since more text is devoted to the pine-cone search than to showing what makes each Max distinct, readers must rely on their depictions to understand what he means, with most differences being physical attributes. The cheerful, cartoony illustrations and vivid color palette are pleasing but can’t overcome the rushed ending and the promotion of body type and skin and hair color as the primary ways individuals can be distinct. Main character Max is biracial, with medium-brown skin and curly, dark-brown hair; his mom presents Asian, and his dad presents Black. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Mistakenly places emphasis on appearances over millions of other ways people can be unique. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-32411-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
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
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.
After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026
ISBN: 9780063436121
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
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