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THE PATH

Name: THE PATH
Author: Pamela Paul
ISBN: 9780593532195

by Pamela Paul ; illustrated by Qin Leng ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 25, 2026

A remarkably original look at the awesome power of community.

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A dozen-odd humans and dogs are visiting a park alone or in small groups when a natural phenomenon brings everyone together.

Two kids are excited about taking a walk on a park’s “perfect path” when…“Whoa!—watch out for that bike!” The bicyclist is, in turn, annoyed by another park visitor: “If only—gah!—skaters didn’t have to go so ziggety-zaggety.” On it goes, with visitors airing their frustrations about interruptions by others on the same path. Suddenly, they all pause to look at a curiosity above them: “What is that?” “It looks like a black cloud.” “But a beautiful black cloud.” A bird-watcher informs everyone that “it’s called a murmuration. The birds fly together so they can take care of one another.” The comment sparks understanding (“You know—those birds have the right idea”), setting off a chain reaction of kindness. “Nice pedaling there, kid! You’re getting it!” says a runner zooming past a novice young bicyclist, and so on. Paul’s strikingly clever story is told entirely in thought and dialogue bubbles that are gracefully integrated into Leng's panels; her loose-handed vignettes are power-packed with light and feeling, featuring a multiracial, multigenerational ensemble. The whole production calls to mind a graphic novel in which myopic individualism is the foe and Mother Nature the superhero.

A remarkably original look at the awesome power of community. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2026

ISBN: 9780593532195

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
IT SIMPLY CAN'T BE BEDTIME
by Pamela Paul ; illustrated by Steven Salerno

- BOOK REVIEW
RECTANGLE TIME
by Pamela Paul ; illustrated by Becky Cameron

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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THE PUMPKIN THIEF

From the Leaf Thief series

by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 28, 2026

More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.

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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)