A simple tale of learning to love yourself that is light on excitement.
In Dee’s children’s book, a young frog saves his village and learns the joy of just being himself after he finds a mysterious flower that grants wishes.
Finley the frog’s older siblings constantly mock him due to his small size and lack of athletic ability. While Finley enjoys reading and singing in the choir, he really wants to be an athlete like his brothers, sisters, and cousin. One day, Finley stumbles across a magic flower with three yellow petals, with each one representing a wish; the young frog immediately wishes to be strong. As he is enjoying his newfound strength in the pond, however, a terrifying water snake begins chasing him, and Finley is snatched up in the jaws of a crow. Finley then wishes to cancel his first wish and returns to normal. Later, constant rains threaten to flood the frogs’ town of Croaksville. Despite the selfish pleas of the mayor and council to save their houses, Finley decides to use his last wish to save all of the frogs’ homes. From then on, Finley is treated with respect and learns to appreciate himself, knowing that, “over time, he would grow bigger and stronger.” Lock’s colorful illustrations employ minimal lines and extensive shading to create simple yet effective images that enhance the plot. Dee incorporates numerous wildlife elements to illustrate Finley’s journey toward self-acceptance, which is sure to appeal to animal enthusiasts, but the transition from Finley’s magical adventure to the rain-flooded rescue feels abrupt. While the book’s overarching theme of loving oneself is admirable, the execution unfortunately falls flat.
A simple tale of learning to love yourself that is light on excitement.Pub Date: April 20, 2026
ISBN: 9798989250714
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Boomi LLC
Review Posted Online: Dec. 2, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.
After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026
ISBN: 9780063436121
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
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
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