A vibrant depiction of the exquisite imagination of an underrepresented child.
A girl with autism and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome dreams of universes beyond what science can measure in this whimsical nighttime-hued picture book.
Eliza Dee knows her science about the sky: “The sun is a star, always shining, even at night,” and even when the moon doesn’t look like a sphere, it is. But when she dreams, it’s her creativity that shines. She imagines herself as a pixie traveling in the space between universes, where she uses pixie dust to turn the outline of a leaf to full color. As her wonder grows, so does her imagination, until finally, she realizes she can create any universe in her mind. Her fancies conclude with a question, as Eliza Dee wonders what the reader will dream. Vitsmun and Mikki create a vibrant imaginative space, first grounding the peach-skinned, rosy-cheeked Eliza Dee in the real world of the night sky, looking through a telescope or sitting in a room decorated with real-world constellations. Mikki introduces a riot of color in the dreamscape, featuring a hodge-podge of invented animals and fish with wings. Vitsmun’s vocabulary is accessible, with short sentences that span many images. In a note, Vitsmun points out that Eliza Dee’s conditions are considered “invisible disabilities”; without these notes, readers might not realize Eliza is neurodivergent or that her imagined worlds are due to hyperphantasia. The star’s hypermobility is subtly evident in the way Mikki depicts her seated positions, particularly in the real world, where she crosses legs or kneels in a way that her flexibility makes possible.
A vibrant depiction of the exquisite imagination of an underrepresented child.Pub Date: April 4, 2024
ISBN: 9781839195259
Page Count: 38
Publisher: Hypatia Press
Review Posted Online: June 20, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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