I NEED MY OWN COUNTRY!

Name: I NEED MY OWN COUNTRY!
Author: Rick Walton
ISBN: 978-1-59990-559-4

by Rick Walton ; illustrated by Wes Hargis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 16, 2012

Disgruntled and long-suffering children will cheer at this assertion of power. Especially those with political aspirations.

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Childhood is full of injustices—why not start your own country, where you can make the rules?

A young girl is fed up, especially with her troublesome little brother, and declares her independence. Spunky and full of pluck, she hereby lays claim to the country of “Myroomania.” But what does a country need to get started? Citizens are important (stuffed animals and pets work well). And a national currency helps too (craft skills come in handy). But Walton delves a little deeper, also exploring civil unrest (the cat will not always like the dog) and preparing for the possibility of invasion. With sibling rivalry, whose house hasn’t turned into a war zone at one point or another? Luckily, it doesn’t end in tyranny. It is important to remember that all potential enemies might be carrying a peace offering—in the form of chocolate cake. Hargis’ sprawling and energetic drawings follow each helpful instruction, packing in plenty of humorous details along the way. (The piggy bank is the obvious choice for Secretary of the Treasury, but the Secretary of the Navy? The goldfish has that covered.)

Disgruntled and long-suffering children will cheer at this assertion of power. Especially those with political aspirations. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-59990-559-4

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Review Posted Online: Aug. 14, 2012

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2012

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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GIRL & GORILLA
by Rick Walton ; illustrated by Joe Berger

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FRANKENSTEIN'S FRIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
by Nathan Hale ; illustrated by Rick Walton

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FRANKENSTEIN
by Rick Walton & illustrated by Nathan Hale

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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: yesterday

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026

Categories:

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

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SUN THIEF
by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SNOW THIEF
by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater

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THE BISON AND THE BUTTERFLY
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)