Safely spooky and downright silly.
After building the perfect home for himself and his friends, a handy little ghost attempts to grow a garden.
The other ghosts, who collectively narrate, are hoping for “the scariest garden EVER. A real boo-tanical fright”—ideally in the cemetery. But Leonard opts for the backyard. And instead of weeds, he plants seeds, much to the consternation of the others, who “don’t want anything that grows up to be pretty or smell nice.” Once the garden is in full bloom, the real test of its spookiness—or lack thereof—arrives when the ghosts’ human neighbors stop by. Perhaps unsurprisingly, a group of spirits, even adorable ones, is a frightening sight to the adults, who screech in terror, though their child is thrilled at her new neighbors. Leonard’s a sweet little ghost, always wearing his gardening hat and work gloves, a smudge of pink on his cheeks. Each of his friends—depicted as translucent floating sheets—has their own distinctive characteristic: a beanie, a hairbow, glasses, a furrowed brow. An especially captivating illustration shows the unassuming new seedlings reaching toward the sky, looking up at Leonard as he peers down at them, his joy a dramatic contrast to his friend’s dismay. Quietly determined to create the garden of his dreams, Leonard is a hero that readers will root for; the puns and sunny artwork combine for a story that’s just right for those who prefer their Halloween tales on the gentle side.
Safely spooky and downright silly. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9780374394745
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts.
In this latest slice in the Food Group series, Humble Pie learns to stand up to a busy friend who’s taking advantage of his pal’s hard work on the sidelines.
Jake the Cake and Humble Pie are good friends. Where Pie is content to toil in the background, Jake happily shines in the spotlight. Alert readers will notice that Pie’s always right there, too, getting A-pluses and skiing expertly just behind—while also doing the support work that keeps every school and social project humming. “Fact: Nobody notices pie when there’s cake nearby!” When the two friends pair up for a science project, things begin well. But when the overcommitted Jake makes excuse after excuse, showing up late or not at all, a panicked Pie realizes that they won’t finish in time. When Jake finally shows up on the night before the project’s due, Pie courageously confronts him. “And for once, I wasn’t going to sugarcoat it.” The friends talk it out and collaborate through the night for the project’s successful presentation in class the next day. John and Oswald’s winning recipe—plentiful puns and delightful visual jokes—has yielded another treat here. The narration does skew didactic as it wraps up: “There’s nothing wrong with having a tough conversation, asking for help, or making sure you’re being treated fairly.” But it’s all good fun, in service of some gentle lessons about social-emotional development.
A flavorful call to action sure to spur young introverts. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9780063469730
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
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