A good reminder to keep distraction at bay.
Mrs. Bizzie and Mr. Bizzie work as a detective and nature photographer, respectively, starting from early in the morning, weekends included.
Their kids, Bianca and Barnaby, have inherited the parents’ active lives, Bianca taking care of the family pets while Barnaby cooks. The family mystery is that items keep coming up missing, until one day Bianca’s beloved Chucky the Chick runs away. Thus backfires the kids’ plot to seek more attention from their distracted parents, and the Bizzies must come together to find Chucky and to address the elephant-sized problem in the room. The problem is mostly glossed over from there on; Mr. and Mrs. Bizzie somehow find a way to come home earlier from their work and spend weekends with Bianca and Barnaby, but readers don’t learn how they achieve that work-life balance. For many families, simply freeing up additional time isn’t an option. Nevertheless, bringing it up will make some young readers and their grown-up caregivers feel seen, and throughout the text, translated from Spanish, Merlán gives distinct, memorable details to each character. Mrs. Bizzie isn’t just a detective, she’s an investigator who hides a magnifying glass, sunglasses, and comb in her large hair. In illustrations as busy as the Bizzie family, Millán crams in details of the home throughout that reflect the interests of four highly creative individuals (all white).
A good reminder to keep distraction at bay. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-84-16733-62-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cuento de Luz
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note.
Little Honey Bunny Funnybunny loves baseball almost as much as she loves her big brother P.J.—though it’s a close-run thing.
Readers familiar with the pranks P.J. plays on his younger sibling in older episodes of the series (most illustrated by Roger Bollen) will be amused—and perhaps a little confused—to see him in the role of perfect big brother after meeting his swaddled little sister for the first time in mama’s lap. But here, along with being a constant companion and “always happy to see her,” he cements his heroic status in her eyes by hitting a home run for his baseball team and then patiently teaching her how to play T-ball. After carefully coaching her and leading her through warm-up exercises, he even sits in the stands, loudly cheering her on as she scores the winning run in her own very first game. “‘You are the best brother a bunny could ever have!’” she burbles. This tale’s a tad blander compared with others centered on P.J. and his sister, but it’s undeniably cheery, with text well structured for burgeoning readers. The all-smiles animal cast in Bowers’ cartoon art features a large and diversely hued family of bunnies sporting immense floppy ears as well as a multispecies crowd of furry onlookers equally varied of color, with one spectator in a wheelchair.
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9798217032464
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Earnest and well meaning but not quite a touchdown.
In Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Hurts’ motivational picture book, a youngster rebounds from disappointment.
As Jalen heads off on his first day of school, he daydreams about joining the football team, but his friend Trey soon breaks the bad news. The garden club needed more space for vegetables, so the football field was used for planting. There will be no football this year. Jalen is despondent, but his teachers Mrs. Lee and Mr. Barry and bodega owner Mr. Muhammad offer guidance that spurs him and his friends into positive action. They work to flip a nearby empty lot into a football field, with Jalen echoing his mentors’ adages. Once the field is complete, Jalen feels a swell of pride in his and his friends’ work. While the idea of kids working together to effect change is a laudable one, the bland, wordy storytelling won’t inspire young people or hold their attention. Tired, cliched inspirational comments peppered throughout often slow down the narrative, and many adult readers will find the premise—a school dropping a high-interest sports program in favor of a community garden—wildly unrealistic. Though the illustrations are colorful, with a Disney Junior charm, strange stylistic choices, such as signs with odd combinations of scribbles instead of letters, give them an unpolished look. Like Hurts, Jalen is Black; his community is diverse.
Earnest and well meaning but not quite a touchdown. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 10, 2026
ISBN: 9798217040308
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
