A series of delightful disasters presided over by a determined little frog.
Readers meet babysitter Finn the frog in Keres’ picture book.
Finn the frog introduces himself to the reader as a “babysitter extraordinaire.” He initiates a game of peekaboo that ends with a ripped page. Finn gets upset at the reader and makes them cry, so he makes amends to both the torn page and the upset reader with stickers. Next, Finn considers fingerpainting, but thinks better of the potential mess and blows up a balloon instead. “WOW! Look how big it is! Here you go - this ought to keep you occupied for a little while. But remember, don’t put it in your…POP!” Too late. Finn tries blowing bubbles, which goes well until the reader knocks over the container of liquid, further damaging the book. Finally, Finn meets the ultimate challenge: “Code BROWN!” Lin’s cartoon and watercolor illustrations create a clever interplay between Finn and the reader, whose smudge marks, spilled bubble liquid, and exploded balloon fragments are left all over the pages. The unusual blend of second-person narration and fourth-wall breaking is effortless and fun. Finn’s hilarious personality is immensely likeable: He oscillates between self-assured, floundering, eager to please, and exhausted. The book provides an opportunity for adult and child to laugh together about familiar scenarios. Finn’s babysitting debacles will both resonate with the caregivers who juggle the same kinds of minor catastrophes daily and amuse the children who cause them.
A series of delightful disasters presided over by a determined little frog.Pub Date: Feb. 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781964021010
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Buzzbook Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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