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MEET THE BOBS AND TWEETS

Name: MEET THE BOBS AND TWEETS
Author: Pepper Springfield
ISBN: 978-0-545-87072-6

From the Bob and Tweets series , Vol. 1

by Pepper Springfield ; illustrated by Kristy Caldwell ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 28, 2016

Falls far short of the Seuss it attempts to achieve; here’s hoping Volume 2 can gain some traction.

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Bob Seven and Tweet Seven may seem to be in the wrong families, but they’re a perfect fit as friends.

“A mob of Bobs lives like slobs, / A mob! / Of Bobs! / Oh, such slobs. // Seven Bobs are in the mob. / Can you see that six are slobs?” They make such a mess that they need to move. Mo the Realtor sends them to Bonefish Street. “Now meet the Tweets. / A fleet of Tweets. / Of seven Tweets, just six are neat.” They want to move to someplace where they can be even neater. Unscrupulous Mo sells them the house across the street from the Bobs. When the clans meet at the neighborhood pool, a brawl ensues. Dean (Bob Seven) and Lou (Tweet Seven) seek lifeguard assistance to quell the fight, but surely these neighbors are headed for more clashes. Springfield’s series starter tells a tale even those just starting chapters will be able to predict. Repetitive, simple rhymes make for easier reading, but the bland story and several hiccups in the meter will discourage repeated readings. Caldwell’s energetic, full-color, Sunday-comics illustrations are satisfyingly chaotic, doing their best to lift the story up; all Bobs and Tweets as well as Mo appear to be white. Final art not seen.

Falls far short of the Seuss it attempts to achieve; here’s hoping Volume 2 can gain some traction. (Fiction. 5-8)

Pub Date: June 28, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-545-87072-6

Page Count: 80

Publisher: Scholastic

Review Posted Online: March 1, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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MAYA'S BIG QUESTION

From the Ambitious Girl series , Vol. 3

by Meena Harris ; illustrated by Marissa Valdez ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 3, 2026

Another empowering outing led by a dynamic young role model.

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The third title in the Ambitious Girl series finds young Maya wanting accomplished women to get their due.

On a school trip to Washington, D.C., brown-skinned, bubble-braided Maya is full of questions, among them “How many representatives are there?” and, while checking out the statues and monuments, “Where are all the women?” Maya’s teacher tells her that they’ve seen all the “popular” statues and monuments. Maya is as dogged (“But what about Eleanor Roosevelt? Or Mary McLeod Bethune?”) as her teacher is dismissive: “Those aren’t on my list.” (Maya’s teacher follows the same list every trip.) Back at home, Maya is newly awakened to the lack of female representation in her orbit—she notices that streets and “even her own school” are named for men. Is there anything she can do about this? Maya’s teacher’s cluelessness feels a bit implausible, more like a plot device to steer the story in the right direction, but Maya’s righteous indignation is believable, and her corresponding activism will energize readers. Valdez gets into the spirit of things with her invigorating digital art: Maya and her multiethnic classmates and neighbors are colorful dressers with smiling faces, which fosters a sense that wherever Maya goes, a warm and ebullient community is there for her.

Another empowering outing led by a dynamic young role model. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026

ISBN: 9780316561341

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
AMBITIOUS GIRL
by Meena Harris ; illustrated by Marissa Valdez

- BOOK REVIEW
KAMALA AND MAYA'S BIG IDEA
by Meena Harris ; illustrated by Ana Ramírez González

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CLAYMATES

by Dev Petty ; illustrated by Lauren Eldridge ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 20, 2017

The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted...

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Reinvention is the name of the game for two blobs of clay.

A blue-eyed gray blob and a brown-eyed brown blob sit side by side, unsure as to what’s going to happen next. The gray anticipates an adventure, while the brown appears apprehensive. A pair of hands descends, and soon, amid a flurry of squishing and prodding and poking and sculpting, a handsome gray wolf and a stately brown owl emerge. The hands disappear, leaving the friends to their own devices. The owl is pleased, but the wolf convinces it that the best is yet to come. An ear pulled here and an extra eye placed there, and before you can shake a carving stick, a spurt of frenetic self-exploration—expressed as a tangled black scribble—reveals a succession of smug hybrid beasts. After all, the opportunity to become a “pig-e-phant” doesn’t come around every day. But the sound of approaching footsteps panics the pair of Picassos. How are they going to “fix [them]selves” on time? Soon a hippopotamus and peacock are staring bug-eyed at a returning pair of astonished hands. The creative naiveté of the “clay mates” is perfectly captured by Petty’s feisty, spot-on dialogue: “This was your idea…and it was a BAD one.” Eldridge’s endearing sculpted images are photographed against the stark white background of an artist’s work table to great effect.

The dynamic interaction between the characters invites readers to take risks, push boundaries, and have a little unscripted fun of their own . (Picture book. 5-8)