A visually rich and respectful retelling that breathes new life into a timeless tale.
A resourceful trio of sisters confronts a cunning tiger in this inventive retelling of the Korean folktale “The Three Little Girls.”
A mother’s simple warning sets the stage for a tense showdown between clever children and a menacing predator. Before leaving for the village, Eomma gives each of her three daughters a gift and tells them to watch over one another. When a hungry tiger shows up at the door, the girls must outmaneuver the interloper, with help from the Sky God, who lowers a rope from the heavens; the creature attempts to climb it, to its detriment. With reverence and a modern touch, Miller reimagines a centuries-old tale. Loaded with detail and brimming with charm, her meticulously constructed cut-paper images are the book’s standout feature. Watercolor depictions of the characters are positioned among tiny hand-crafted sets created from clay, paper, wood, wire, and moss and then photographed. The orange tiger blazes across one double-page spread, while the rope glows against a dusky sky. In her backmatter, Miller notes that she drew influence from Korean folk arts and crafts and discusses honoring the source material while making carefully thought-out changes (for instance, giving her female cast more agency and character development).
A visually rich and respectful retelling that breathes new life into a timeless tale. (bibliography) (Picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: Feb. 24, 2026
ISBN: 9780823459407
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2025
A strong second outing for Dillard and J.D.
Breakout kid barber J.D. embraces a summer of opportunity.
Readers met J.D. Jones just as he took his hometown of Meridian, Mississippi, by storm, winning himself community acclaim and a chair at the revered Hart and Sons barbershop in series opener J.D. and the Great Barber Battle(2021). What’s next for the haircut prodigy? School’s just getting out, and there’s so much life happening outside—if only one can escape home learning with the grandparents. J.D.’s sister, Vanessa, brings along multitalented mutual friend Jessyka to share an ambitious challenge: “Let’s start a YouTube channel!” Can they get millions of views and wow the whole world? They are already amazing at haircuts and hairstyles—all they need is to learn how to make a great YouTube video. The story models strategies for scripting short videos reflecting the templates of viral YouTube hair tutorials, inviting readers to not only see the journey of the characters, but maybe also practice these skills at home. This book is bound to educate all about some of the most storied and cherished traditions within the Black community. Bringing in Vanessa is a great touch to extend the series across gender, and hopefully she’ll get a chance to lead her own adventures. This book blends skill-building, entrepreneurship, and strong family values to give young Black children visions of what’s possible when they follow their passions and embrace their community.
A strong second outing for Dillard and J.D. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11155-0
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Dizzyingly silly.
The famous superhero returns to fight another villain with all the trademark wit and humor the series is known for.
Despite the title, Captain Underpants is bizarrely absent from most of this adventure. His school-age companions, George and Harold, maintain most of the spotlight. The creative chums fool around with time travel and several wacky inventions before coming upon the evil Turbo Toilet 2000, making its return for vengeance after sitting out a few of the previous books. When the good Captain shows up to save the day, he brings with him dynamic action and wordplay that meet the series’ standards. The Captain Underpants saga maintains its charm even into this, the 11th volume. The epic is filled to the brim with sight gags, toilet humor, flip-o-ramas and anarchic glee. Holding all this nonsense together is the author’s good-natured sense of harmless fun. The humor is never gross or over-the-top, just loud and innocuous. Adults may roll their eyes here and there, but youngsters will eat this up just as quickly as they devoured every other Underpants episode.
Dizzyingly silly. (Humor. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-50490-4
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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