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THANKS A LATTE FOR BEING MY TEACHER!

Name: THANKS A LATTE FOR BEING MY TEACHER!
Author: Rose Rossner
ISBN: 9781464220531

From the Punderland series

by Rose Rossner ; illustrated by Emily Emerson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 4, 2025

A lackluster, punny tale in search of an audience.

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This latest in the Punderland series pays tribute to educators.

“Teacher, thank you a HOLE lot for everything you do.” The accompanying illustration depicts a young doughnut with a backpack smiling up at a larger, bespectacled one. The puns come fast and furious: “You’re special and TEA-riffic / in all you say and BREW!” A cheery teapot pours hot water into a sweet-faced little cup. “I couldn’t have picked a better one, / I love you to my core.” A pair of anthropomorphic apples—one small, one larger—hold hands and beam at each other. It isn’t clear who this book’s audience is—or whether it even has one. Given that the story is addressed to teachers, it feels more like a gift for educators than a kids’ book, though much of the text will elicit groans or, at best, a slight chuckle from adult readers. Those looking to share it with the students in their lives will be disappointed; youngsters will likely react with confusion at some of these lines: “I’ve learned a LATTE from you. / Words can’t ESPRESSO just how much.” “You were meant 2B my teacher— / on point in every way!” (This last is paired with an image of two pencils doodling together.) The art features bright, primary color digital illustrations of personified objects.

A lackluster, punny tale in search of an audience. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 4, 2025

ISBN: 9781464220531

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland

Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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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: Aug. 11, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026

Categories:

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

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THE SUN THIEF
by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater

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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)