Light on both nature and mystery, though this might be just the thing to lure young readers away from their screens and into...
In their second adventure (The Disappearing Caterpillar, 2015), Pipsie and her sidekick/best friend, Alfred Z. Turtle, are on a school trip to the park.
Equipped with cameras to record each of the “Seven Wonders of Nature!” on their scavenger-hunt list, the pairs head out, determined to be first to find everything. But Pipsie and Alfred’s excitement is dimmed by a lunchnapper. Who is the thief? And will Alfred be able to focus on the mystery over the loud growling of his belly? The duo looks high and low, finding all the items on the list and sprinkling some facts about the animals and signs they encounter along the way. And Alfred’s selfie turns out to reveal the thief as well as capturing their “favorite wonder”—Alfred. The award goes to the twins, though, as team members can’t be scavenger-hunt items. They take the loss well, pleased to make yet another mystery history. Backmatter gives a few more facts about the animals they see. Bishop’s bright illustrations are reminiscent of television cartoons. Pipsie and the park ranger are dressed remarkably similarly, and young nature detectives will endeavor to equip themselves as Pipsie does, backpack, nature notebook, and magnifying glass at the ready. Pipsie is Asian, the ranger appears to be African-American, and her classmates are fairly diverse.
Light on both nature and mystery, though this might be just the thing to lure young readers away from their screens and into the great outdoors. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5039-5061-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Two Lions
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2016
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
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
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