Required reading for budding phytophiles.
When a young boy’s beloved plant collection overtakes his bedroom, he must figure out how to turn things around.
Leif’s family lives in one of several apartments above their cafe. “Mom bake[s] the treats and Dad brew[s] the beans. But Leif prefer[s] to grow plants in his bedroom with his pal Hortus.” The droll, rather sophisticated text describes the boy’s obsession: Leif’s sole holiday requests have always been for specific foliage, he reads up on plant care, and he carefully places poisonous flora out of reach of Hortus, a turtle. When asked how many plants he has, Leif responds, “Not enough,” while his parents say, “Too many.” Leif’s successful nurturing results in his plants twining themselves around the furniture and spilling across the entire house. After Leif’s watering can and library book disappear amid the jungle that’s consumed his home, the ultimate crisis occurs: Hortus goes missing. Leif adamantly refuses to remove any plants but does acknowledge the problem. Leif quickly solves the problem (indeed, the swift resolution may be a bit unsatisfying for readers), leading to benefits for the entire urban neighborhood. Wen’s colorful, stylized illustrations are a wonderful complement to Wang’s quietly amusing text and include ethnic diversity in group scenes; Leif and his family present East Asian. Backmatter offers helpful instructions about plant propagation, plus a list of pet-friendly houseplants.
Required reading for budding phytophiles. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 10, 2025
ISBN: 9781324052784
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Norton Young Readers
Review Posted Online: July 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2025
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
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
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