A strong title that showcases diversity and features adorable images.
Ameenuddin’s picture-book study of cat behaviors makes a convincing case that felines just might be Muslim.
An unnamed Muslim narrator asks young readers, “Have you ever wondered if cats…are Muslim?” He then encourages them to seek out clues: Cats love sitting on prayer mats, the narrator notes, and they pause to listen to the Qur’an being recited, and they make excellent alarm clocks for predawn prayer. “They spend hours keeping themselves clean, just like we do wudu’ [a washing ritual] before prayer,” the narrator points out, later noting that “Cats have always been welcome in Islamic bookshops and libraries because they protect the books” by chasing mice. In a play on words, the narrator suggests that cats “purrrr-sist,” just like Muslims who protest injustice. All these clues and more support the narrator’s hypothesis that cats are, indeed, Muslim. Ameenuddin’s straightforward prose incorporates many undefined terms for places and practices that will be most familiar to Muslim children, but they may inspire young readers from other backgrounds to learn more about the faith. The pink-cheeked children in Salsabila’s cartoon illustrations are portrayed with an array of skin tones, and small labels acknowledge different geographic locations, highlighting how Muslims live all over the world. An image of protest presents a variety of sign slogans that can help start conversations about world events.
A strong title that showcases diversity and features adorable images.Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026
ISBN: 9781917068437
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Little Hibba
Review Posted Online: Aug. 12, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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