A beautifully illustrated tale that will help children of divorce feel seen.
A poetic, honest, child’s-eye view of divorce.
Auset’s parents named her to honor their African American ancestors, but family honor didn’t prevent divorce. As Auset mourns being split between two homes, she finds comfort and strength in the music of Bob Marley and Sweet Honey in the Rock. Auset’s therapist isn’t skilled at “sewing kids back together,” but the protagonist confides in her stuffed animal, Dolphie the Dolphin, who knows about being “stitched / Back together” and doesn’t write notes about her when she cries. Auset’s parents’ excitement over her good grades lessens the impact of the divorce, but the family division still cuts deeply. After kids criticize Auset’s raspy voice and boyish clothes, she feels better from learning new things, listening to music she loves, and excelling in karate, but she’s not proud about hurting another kid with her martial art. Auset hides her true feelings from her mom but shares them with her dad, with whom she keeps it real. Palmer’s textured, full-color acrylic-on-canvas board illustrations capture both Auset’s love for her parents and her turmoil over their divorce, even though both are still actively involved in her daily life. This homage to Bob Marley, whose image and lyrics appear often, demonstrates that divorce is hard on kids, even if things are “gonna be all right” eventually.
A beautifully illustrated tale that will help children of divorce feel seen. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593429365
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House Studio
Review Posted Online: Aug. 29, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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