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ROO KNOWS BLUE

Name: ROO KNOWS BLUE
Author: Renée Treml
ISBN: 978-0-14-379032-7

by Renée Treml ; illustrated by Renée Treml ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2020

Infinitely shareable. Roo knows giggles.

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Explore colors set against an Australian landscape.

An exuberant kangaroo leaps around, singing a tune: “The sky, the lake, / some flowers too. / Roo knows, / Roo knows, / Roo knows / blue!” Spots of blue pop from the page against a mottled gray-and-white backdrop, highlighting all that Roo is seeing. As Roo bounds along, another color appears. “A fox, some rocks, / a parrot’s head. / Roo knows / Roo knows, / Roo knows….” A page turn reveals Roo confidently shouting, “BLUE!” Luckily, a possum friend is there to help. “Silly Roo, / that’s not blue, / that’s… // red!” The three letters are enormous, and a full crimson background helps readers shout out the answer. Roo sets off, bounding again. What will the next color be? The rhyme builds up the anticipation, yellow bursts from the page, and Roo answers, “blue?” Readers will delight in correcting Roo’s confusion. “Little Roo, Little Roo, / there are lots more / colours than just blue.” The bouncy text hops and scans cheerfully along, matching Roo’s playfully pounding feet. The one-note joke gets a lot of mileage. But will the trickiest color rhyme of all trip up Roo (and readers too)? (This book was reviewed digitally with 9.8-by-19.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 42.3% of actual size.)

Infinitely shareable. Roo knows giggles. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-14-379032-7

Page Count: 24

Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia/Trafalgar

Review Posted Online: June 15, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS

- BOOK REVIEW
IT'S OWL GOOD
by Renée Treml ; illustrated by Renée Treml

- BOOK REVIEW
SHERLOCK BONES AND THE SEA-CREATURE FEATURE
by Renée Treml ; illustrated by Renée Treml

- BOOK REVIEW
SHERLOCK BONES AND THE NATURAL HISTORY MYSTERY
by Renée Treml ; illustrated by Renée Treml

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IT'S MY BIRD-DAY!

From the Pigeon series

by Mo Willems ; illustrated by Mo Willems ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 31, 2026

Familiarity breeds a birthday for the ages in this party worth attending.

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Don’t let the Pigeon ruin his own special day!

Anyone who has ever encountered the title character in any of his books—whether his first, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (2003), or one of its many sequels—will understand that the bird’s innate self-love drives his every interaction. Little wonder, then, that he’s thrilled about his own “bird-day.” He has the hat. He has his “FANCY PLUMAGE.” And, best of all, he will get to blow out a candle “on my bird-day hot dog!” As he revels in the knowledge that this day is all for him, comeuppance is lurking. Someone has already blown out the bird-day candle—and eaten half the hot dog. It turns out that the Pigeon’s frenemy, the Duckling, has the same bird-day—as do a slew of newly hatched chicks. The Pigeon’s obligatory eight-panel freakout ensues. “What am I—invisible? I just want to be seen,” he whimpers, and when he receives some much-needed reassurance, he settles down and willingly shares his special day. While the switch from unapologetic narcissism to mature acceptance happens in the record-breaking span of two pages, the book is as enchanting as the Pigeon’s earlier outings. Even as it walks in the footsteps of its predecessors, there’s no denying the fun to be had.

Familiarity breeds a birthday for the ages in this party worth attending. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: March 31, 2026

ISBN: 9781454999621

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Union Square Kids

Review Posted Online: Nov. 22, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
THE MONSTER AND PUPPET SHOW!
by Mo Willems & Kate Micucci ; illustrated by Mo Willems & Kate Micucci

- BOOK REVIEW
THE PIGEON WON'T COUNT TO 10!
by Mo Willems ; illustrated by Mo Willems

- BOOK REVIEW
WILL THE PIGEON GRADUATE?
by Mo Willems ; illustrated by Mo Willems

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CHICKA CHICKA PEEP PEEP

From the Chicka Chicka Book series

by Julien Chung ; illustrated by Julien Chung ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 20, 2026

A sweet, springtime-themed reworking of a beloved tale.

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The classic picture book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) gets a makeover for Easter as the letters of the alphabet locate and decorate eggs.

The mission is simple: “Chicka chicka peek peek. / Everybody seek seek! / Find all the eggs / in the pretty pink tree.” The letters are making their way up the flowering tree in search of the hidden eggs when a “SNEEZE!” scatters everyone and the eggs fall and crack. Luckily, a bunny hops by with a haul of new ones, which the letters then paint and bedazzle, eventually sharing the newly decorated eggs with a group of bunnies. This picture book is a successfully Easter-fied version of the original: The letters go up; the letters fall down. Truly, though, that’s all the preschool crowd needs. Chung’s illustrations are simple and familiar, a direct echo of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. The letters appear in colorful, bold, block form. The book has few added details, just focal images like the tree and its pink flowers, the colorful eggs, tufts of grass, and some friendly rabbits. The alphabet appears in order (both upper- and lowercase letters) at the book’s open and close. The rhyming text follows the iconic cadence of the source material, making for a worthy read-aloud that will keep little hands turning pages.

A sweet, springtime-themed reworking of a beloved tale. (Picture book. 3-5)