One doubts that there will come a time / when Collins can’t think up a rhyme.
A dynamic animal duo butt heads about whether Bear has the wiles to scare Mouse.
This rhyming story begins with Bear—the outsize polar kind—announcing a campaign to spook Mouse: “It’s Halloween tonight—woo-hoo! / I’m going to scare you / through and through!” Mouse, a sweater-clad gray rodent, responds dismissively to each of the costumed Bear’s several tries. “Now, what is this you’ve turned into? / A werewolf? / Oh. I missed the clue. / The smell of wet dog follows you— / may I suggest / some pet shampoo?” But Mouse cops to being impressed by Bear’s eeriest attempt: “Now, this is something weird and new! / A creepy monster. / Right on cue!” But wait: How can this (gulp) fanged reptilian beast be Bear in disguise if Bear is standing right behind Mouse? The story plays like an Abbott and Costello routine, but as in the other books in this pleasing series, the central twosome’s mutual affection leaves a stronger impression than their squabbling does. Collins’ book’s worth of “oo” rhymes are unpredictable without ever compromising on syntax or rhythm. The action unfolds against a range of solid-color interior walls, which make for tidy layouts in which the hijinks play out.
One doubts that there will come a time / when Collins can’t think up a rhyme. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 21, 2026
ISBN: 9798887771731
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
The runaway cookie in this Mexican bakery is a soft, brown, stubby-tailed piglet as impertinently bold and smug in his continual escape as his Gingerbread Boy cousin. “Chase me! Chase me down the street. But this is one piggy you won’t get to eat! / ¡Córrele, córrele! ¡Y Córrele más! ¡Soy el cochinito que jamás comerás!” This bouncy dual refrain extends the familiar cumulative text, rendered in both English and Spanish, as piggy manages to elude Marta the baker, Lorenzo the mechanic, Mamá Nita the beautician, Joaquín the telephone repairman and a host of other neighborhood adults—until he is outsmarted by Rosa, a little girl on her way to school, who foxily “helps him” cross the street. Safely tucked into her backpack, piggy is both a welcome surprise and an excuse for Rosa’s lateness to class. Deep opaque acrylic paintings of a colorful barrio and its residents in pursuit add the right amount of cultural flavor to this vivid Latino retelling. Recipe appended. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55885-586-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Piñata Books/Arte Público
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2010
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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