This layered story plants seeds of learning about nature, the scientific method, and emotional resilience.
A child learns to overcome disappointment and try again.
Ben’s class is planting mystery seeds. Each student picks one unidentified seed from a grab bag of possibilities, uses observation to hypothesize what it will grow into, then plants it to test their predictions. Ben picks out a seed and names it Bean. Enchanted by the seed, Ben speculates that Bean might be magic and grow to an enormous size. But even though Ben does everything right, Bean never grows at all. As the other students’ plants sprout, Ben navigates feelings of jealousy, blame, and sadness. Classroom teacher Ms. Greene reassures Ben, “Sometimes things don’t grow, and we don’t know the reason why.” Determined never to grow anything again, Ben has a change of heart upon spotting the bag of leftover mystery seeds. To save them from being thrown away, Ben relies on the scientific method and the support of classmates to grow a new garden in Bean’s honor. The illustrations feature cutout characters pasted onto abstract watercolor backgrounds, their colors shifting to reflect the mood. The narrative arc and STEM concepts are integrated effectively, with scientific thinking and problem-solving helping to propel the story. Backmatter provides more information about how seeds grow. Ben and Ms. Greene are brown-skinned; the class is diverse.
This layered story plants seeds of learning about nature, the scientific method, and emotional resilience. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 11, 2025
ISBN: 9781623544751
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
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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
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed.
Beep! Beep! Beep! Toad and Little Blue Truck get ready for a hayride.
After the titular vehicle is loaded with hay, Toad is nowhere to be found. “Beep! Beep! Beep! Where are you, Toad?” asks Little Blue Truck. All the barnyard animals look for him. Sheep searches the meadow. Goose and Duck check the pond. Others pitch in, too, but Toad seems to have disappeared…until Hen hears snoring coming from the pile of hay in the back of Little Blue Truck. Although the text’s scansion is imperfect in places (adults may want to pre-read to ensure a smooth read-aloud), the bouncy meter and rhyming text nevertheless capture the energy of the search and the farmyard community’s concern for Toad’s safety, making this a solid storytime choice. Eye-catching illustrations with rich, fully saturated colors balance the right level of detail while still highlighting the animal that is the focus of each verse. By introducing one farm animal at a time, Schertle also helps the youngest readers begin to identify barnyard animals by name and understand their unique farm homes. Traditional animal sounds are part of the text, and listeners will add them to their vocabulary. It all ends with the promised hayride, bringing the tale to a joyous ending.
Fun times, fond friends, and a festive farmyard setting—little ones will be charmed. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2026
ISBN: 9780063436121
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2026
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