This paean to bees is just the ticket for moving kids from concern to comfort
Larkin delivers a love poem to bees and his children.
“When a bee and a flower love each other very much, a fruit is born.” The playful tone set in this first sentence carries throughout this loosely rhymed book. Following an opening double-page spread about pollination, Larkin acknowledges that “bees can be a bit rude” and that, “worst of all, they do this thing / called sting. / OUCH!” But if they were gone, along with no bee stings there would be no watermelons, mangoes, strawberries, cucumbers, and more. Then he gets personal, reasoning that children share some characteristics with bees, even stinging “when you’re in a bad mood. // But,” crucially, “I never stop / loving / you.” Accompanying the text is distinctive, motion-filled artwork that overlays line drawings with swaths and daubs of color. Using photos of himself and his children as models for his human characters, he presents two yellow-overalls–clad black children who variously look worried, astonished, and delighted. One close-up image, of a honeybee in a strawberry blossom, is wonderfully tactile, little grains of pollen falling gracefully over a ripe, red fruit below. A closing double-page spread introduces three types of bees and three other stinging insects on a scale from “kind” to “kinda mean” along with a few points of “bee safety & etiquette.”
This paean to bees is just the ticket for moving kids from concern to comfort . (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-9980477-9-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Readers to Eaters
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
A charming tale of an athlete who may not steal any bases but who will certainly steal readers’ hearts.
Ohtani, pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, teams up with Blank and Liem to tell the story of how his dog, Decoy, threw out a ceremonial first pitch.
It’s a big day! Decoy leaps “off the bed. Then back onto the bed. Then off the bed.” The enthusiastic pup heads outside to practice with his lucky baseball but is quickly distracted by squirrels (“we’ll play later!”), airplanes (“flyin’ high!”), and flowers (“smell ya soon!”). Dog and pitcher then head to the ballpark. In the locker room, Decoy high-paws Shohei’s teammates. It’s nearly time! But as Shohei prepares to warm up, Decoy realizes that he’s forgotten something important: his lucky ball. Without it, there will be “no championships, no parades, and no hot dogs!” Back home he goes, returning just in time. With Shohei at the plate, Decoy runs from the mound to his owner, rolling the ball into Shohei’s mitt for a “Striiiiike!” Related from a dog’s point of view, Ohtani and Blank’s energetic text lends the tale a sense of urgency and suspense. Liem’s illustrations capture the excitement of the first day of baseball season and the joys of locker room camaraderie, as well as Shohei and Decoy’s mutual affection—even when the ball is drenched in slobber, Shohei’s love for his pet shines through, and clearly, Decoy is focused when it matters.
A charming tale of an athlete who may not steal any bases but who will certainly steal readers’ hearts. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9780063460775
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.
In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.
Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.
A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2025
ISBN: 9781250393975
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
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