Readers of this high-energy story who count sheep are in for plenty of giggles.
A child becomes frustrated by rambunctious sheep—but misses them when they vanish—in this picture book.
A pale-skinned, short-haired youngster in footie pajamas just can’t sleep with the moon shining so brightly in the bedroom. “To try to sleep / I counted sheep / But they’re a noisy flock of bleat,” the kid complains. And the sheep certainly do cause a lot of trouble, playing games, upsetting the lamp, and diving into the laundry. Eventually, they all nod off, and the child wonders if maybe counting snails would make for a better night’s sleep. The next evening, the snails arrive, and although they paint glistening trails across the bedroom, fantastically depicted in vibrant green in Barrow’s illustrations, they also snore, keeping the child awake. The youngster ends up wishing for the boisterous sheep instead. Readers familiar with Howell’s humorous rhymes and unique worldview from such titles as Glimmer! (2019) are sure to be pleased with this clever tale. The repetition of the rhyming syllables makes this story a perfect read-aloud, especially for lap readers who want to chime in on the rhymes. Barrow’s digital paintings, similar in style to another of his counting misadventures, Down on the Ranch (2019), maximize the nighttime chaos and perfectly capture the child’s growing exasperation.
Readers of this high-energy story who count sheep are in for plenty of giggles.Pub Date: Feb. 2, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73371-708-3
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Doodle and Peck Publishing
Review Posted Online: March 13, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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