An encouraging message in a quirky package.
Molly Lou Melon uses her voice to stand up for a new friend 19 years after she learned to stand up for herself.
Molly Lou Melon, “a tiny girl with a big, deep-down heart,” is true to herself, as her mother tells her to be. She accepts people for who they are, and she uses her strong voice to “speak up for anyone who might need [her] help.” At school, when Bettina Bonklehead teases Molly Lou and her friend Ronald with “kissy-kissy boyfriend-girlfriend,” Molly Lou defends their friendship. When Bettina teases the new boy, Molly Lou defends him and asks him to play at recess. After standing up for him ferociously, Molly Lou leads her friends in giving mean Bettina the option of being a friend too. Lovell’s text places this strong protagonist at the centers of a loving family and friend group, making her a role model for readers, with her fearless standing up and speaking out. Catrow’s illustrations are borderline fantastical, with birds riding in toy trains and Molly Lou wearing a backpack thrice her size. The ponytail (sometimes multiple) that sticks out beyond her Afro is a superlatively odd touch. Molly Lou has beige skin, and the very odd-looking new boy has brown skin while the other kids, no more peculiar in aspect than Catrow’s typical kewpie, seem to have pale skin. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 63.9% of actual size.)
An encouraging message in a quirky package. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: Sept. 8, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-399-26002-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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