A parable of perseverance and positive attitude.
A space taxi ride with Victor probably won’t get you anywhere near where you ask to go, but….
Victor has always wanted to be a taxi driver, but now that he is one, he gets lost. A pale, four-armed, sunglasses-wearing ET, Victor always tries to find the right place, though. On Monday, he picks up a seven-limbed, five-eyed lady who wants to go to the hairdresser but drops her at the amusement park. On Tuesday, her grandson wants to go to that amusement park; Victor takes him to the library. The next day, the head librarian needs to get to work but is dropped at the dentist! (Judging by his snaggly teeth, this is not so bad an outcome.) The ghost (who’s toothless) wants to go to the dentist too, but it goes to the mad scientist’s lab instead. Instead of at the tallest mountain, a rain cloud finds itself on the driest planet…and the queen of the driest planet ends up at the hairdresser. As the narrator (a three-eyed, gray creature) says, Victor may not be the greatest taxi driver, but he sure excels at bringing people happiness—so they all throw him a party. This translation/adaptation of a title originally published in Germany in 2018 tells its tale without too many frills, but Klever’s whackadoodle, literally spacey, bright illustrations (shortlisted for the World Illustration Award) are outta this world.
A parable of perseverance and positive attitude. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2019
ISBN: 978-3-7913-7406-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Prestel
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2019
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: yesterday
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
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
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