Owl kinds of empowering fun.
A young owl does a day’s worth of independent deeds.
The anthropomorphized youngster who narrates this charmer has a goal: Today “I’m going to do everything…OWL BY MYSELF.” First up: some bedroom cleaning. (Readers will spot overlooked crayons and clothes on the floor.) Next, the owl gets dressed without help, makes “my favorite breakfast,” and pours some juice. (Readers will note that the juice glass is overflowing.) Self-sufficiency is also the order of the school day: The owl observes that when the students, who comprise a range of animals, paint and read, “we’re on our own, but owl together.” By now readers can guess that the owl will be getting ready for bed independently, but they may not guess the “one thing I need to go to sleep owl by myself”: It’s a visit from “you”—the owl’s parents, to whom the adorable saucer-eyed bird has apparently been addressing this narrative. As a play on words, the titular refrain never gets old; Oswald’s dainty, dapper Photoshop art harbors many wry visuals. Top honors go to the illustration of the owl attempting to “tie my shoelaces owl by myself”: The unperturbed owl looks like the victim of a renegade yo-yo string. It’s a good sight gag that encapsulates the book’s main point: Readers can expect bumps along the road to independence, but it’s a road worth traveling.
Owl kinds of empowering fun. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2026
ISBN: 9780593303603
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House Studio
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2026
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
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