Wisdom in a small package.
A child details the family peach tree’s progress, from its sticklike beginnings to its second-year harvest: a single peach.
When the peach-stick’s planted, the youngster’s best friend, Maya, suggests that they plant sticks, too. As the little tree grows roots underground (prodigiously illustrated by Tahboub), more change ensues. The protagonist celebrates a birthday in August, Maya moves in the autumn, and our hero endures a cold, lonely winter. The children write letters—a lovely testimony to nurturing a friendship—and Maya asks about their stick forest. (Tahboub cheekily obliges, providing scribbly, spring-green foliage.) With the arrival of an elder named Ruth the following spring, a mutually welcome bond, liberally sweetened with Ruth’s oatmeal cookies, sprouts between her and the narrator. She describes her childhood cherry tree, which also grew taller than she, maintaining that the tree kept growing while she stopped. Yet she agrees when the child counters, “You grew underneath.” A single flower—“a promise”—appears on the peach tree. In summer, the child shares a peach wedge with Ruth, vowing, “Next year, you get a whole peach.” Imagining the tree after many years, Day’s narrator bestows a final gem: “My tree will be old. But its peaches will always be new.” The child’s different friendships and the tree’s slow maturation yield thematic treasures about growth, change, and aging, anchored by the titular refrain, by turns reflecting sarcasm and genuine pride. Most characters are pale-skinned; Maya is brown-skinned.
Wisdom in a small package. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 12, 2026
ISBN: 9780593806296
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House Studio
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
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
Empowerment to children to be the change they wish to see in the world.
Be a “somebody” who makes a difference!
A Black child witnesses various transgressions over the course of a day. Noticing trash on the walk to the bus stop, the young narrator thinks, “Somebody should do something about that.” Two students push their way ahead of everyone else in order to get good seats on the school bus, prompting the child to muse, “Somebody should speak up about that.” Throughout the day, the child notices examples of bullying and unfairness. These seemingly minor infractions start mounting. Finally, when the protagonist’s teacher tells the students that it’s snack time, the narrator notices that some students don’t have anything to eat. Instead of wishing for a “somebody,” the perceptive pupil realizes, “I am Somebody” and shares food with the others. The epiphany doesn’t stop there. When the narrator arrives home and notices there are toys everywhere but Mom is on a work call, the child responds to Mom’s request for help by cleaning up the mess. Accompanied by simple yet expressive illustrations, this is a loving and much-needed story that encourages kids to make a difference; pair it with Joshunda Sanders’ I Can Write the World (2019), illustrated by Charly Palmer. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Empowerment to children to be the change they wish to see in the world. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 27, 2023
ISBN: 9780762480517
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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