bookshelf

ROCK AND ROLL

Name: ROCK AND ROLL
Author: Ruby Amy Thompson
ISBN: 9781664300927

by Ruby Amy Thompson ; illustrated by Ruby Amy Thompson ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 6, 2026

Friendship goes deeper than surface similarities in this rock-solid tale of companions bonding.

bookshelf

Two wildly different pals nevertheless get on swimmingly.

Squat gray Rock is described not as hard, but as “strong,” while golden bread Roll is “soft” and yielding when squeezed by a brown hand. They differ in multiple ways—introvert vs. extrovert; happy in water vs. happy in air; volcanic vs. floury in origin—but the narrator points out qualities they share. They are both “team players.” Rock looks “fabulous in green,” and so does Roll (let’s not think too much about the source of those spreading green blotches). Both are “calm under pressure”; Rock is unmoved while a boot steps on it, while Roll looks cheerful in a hot oven. Getting dressed up means painted designs on Rock and icing decorations on Roll, but they both love their looks. And they can switch roles: Rock has emotions, and Roll can be a source of strength. Finally, Rock rolls, twirling on floral skates, while Roll rocks out, vigorously beating wooden spoons on an improvised pot-and-bowl drum kit. The illustrations are minimalist but clear: Rock and Roll stand out against plain backgrounds that focus on them. Touches of humor, like Roll’s tiny tongue reaching for some gooey topping and Rock’s “swim” (sinking to the sea bottom), will appeal to the target audience. The language, too, is simple enough for early readers, with contrasting words in bold.

Friendship goes deeper than surface similarities in this rock-solid tale of companions bonding. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026

ISBN: 9781664300927

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tiger Tales

Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

bookshelf

LOVE FROM THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 15, 2015

Safe to creep on by.

bookshelf

Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.

In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.

Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?
edited by Eric Carle

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BUG?
edited by Eric Carle

- BOOK REVIEW
MY FIRST I SEE YOU
by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle

bookshelf

IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

bookshelf

A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.

Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)