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SPLENDIDLY SAWSAN

Name: SPLENDIDLY SAWSAN
Author: Razan Abdin
ISBN: 9781419779947

by Razan Abdin ; illustrated by Shahrzad Maydani ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2026

Affirming and encouraging.

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A child whose “brain and body are constantly on the go” learns strategies for self-control.

Sawsan loves dreaming up outer-space tea parties and dives with dolphins, sea dragons, and jellyfish. At school, Sawsan’s excitement “EXPLODES like confetti.” But when the brown-skinned child chatters at “cheetah-speed” in class, “not letting others squeeze in a single word,” her classmates call her “an interrupter” and “rude.” Sitting still and keeping her desk tidy feel like “IMPOSSIBLE” tasks. While sometimes she’s an “absolute delight,” occasional meltdowns make people whisper and stare. Soon, Sawsan sees herself as “someone who’s rude, messy, and impatient—all the things you don’t want to be.” Fortunately, her baba takes her to Dr. Salim, who reassures her she’s “so splendidly good...your brain just works a little differently.” Together, Dr. Salim and Sawsan brainstorm coping mechanisms, such as breathing exercises to self-soothe and labels to stay organized. Now, Sawsan sees herself as “someone who’s trying her very best—someone who’s full of curiosity and imagination.” While Sawsan’s diagnosis is unspecified, many kids will recognize her “big and bursty” feelings, which radiate from Maydani’s energetic pastel cartoon illustrations and Abdin's expressive text. An author’s note explains that the story is based on Abdin’s childhood experiences and reminds readers that “brains show up in all sorts of ways. And that makes the world a more splendid place.” Sawsan’s name and other hints in the text suggest Middle Eastern heritage.

Affirming and encouraging. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2026

ISBN: 9781419779947

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Abrams

Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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THE PUMPKIN THIEF

From the Leaf Thief series

by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 28, 2026

More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater

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by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nancy Leschnikoff

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)