A starry and heartfelt journey that will carry many rapt children through pre-Christmas bedtimes.
The beloved Steam Train is freighted with holiday cheer.
A rabbitlike creature sits up in surprise as a distant train approaches over the frozen landscape. A crew of cartoon monkeys, kangaroos, a purple elephant, a dinosaur, an extremely long-necked giraffe, and more load the boxcars with crates, and the train lifts off into the sky. An enthusiastic tanker team stirs some dubiously varied but sweet-smelling ingredients into a magic brew whose fragrance wafts through the air, lifting the hearts and spirits of those below. The festive music that the creatures play spreads joy as decorations rain down, and “every bauble, bow, and strand / creates a Christmas wonderland.” The rhythm occasionally falters, but the robust rhymes keep the stock rolling. Rinker’s text avoids the commercial side of Christmas, instead highlighting the emotional meaning of the holiday—“what you cannot hold or touch,” “laughter, love, and memories,” “the joy of friends and families,” and “faith in what is strong and sure”—as the train circles the Earth, “wreathed / in peace and love.” The illustrations bring dazzling magic to the narrative, with stars and snowflakes early on, then gusts of golden glitter—the freight carried and showered down—giving a sparkle to every page.
A starry and heartfelt journey that will carry many rapt children through pre-Christmas bedtimes. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Oct. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781797227030
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
A sweet, springtime-themed reworking of a beloved tale.
The classic picture book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) gets a makeover for Easter as the letters of the alphabet locate and decorate eggs.
The mission is simple: “Chicka chicka peek peek. / Everybody seek seek! / Find all the eggs / in the pretty pink tree.” The letters are making their way up the flowering tree in search of the hidden eggs when a “SNEEZE!” scatters everyone and the eggs fall and crack. Luckily, a bunny hops by with a haul of new ones, which the letters then paint and bedazzle, eventually sharing the newly decorated eggs with a group of bunnies. This picture book is a successfully Easter-fied version of the original: The letters go up; the letters fall down. Truly, though, that’s all the preschool crowd needs. Chung’s illustrations are simple and familiar, a direct echo of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. The letters appear in colorful, bold, block form. The book has few added details, just focal images like the tree and its pink flowers, the colorful eggs, tufts of grass, and some friendly rabbits. The alphabet appears in order (both upper- and lowercase letters) at the book’s open and close. The rhyming text follows the iconic cadence of the source material, making for a worthy read-aloud that will keep little hands turning pages.
A sweet, springtime-themed reworking of a beloved tale. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9781665990646
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out.
From the changing season to decorations and costumes, children anticipate Halloween.
Little readers will enjoy all of the familiar markers of the season included in this book: falling leaves, jack-o’-lanterns, Halloween costumes, candy, and trick-or-treating. Everett’s rhyming couplets bob along safely, offering nothing that will wow but enough to keep the pages turning. It’s Wen’s illustrations that give the most to readers, full of bustling scenes and lovely details. A double-page spread of the children in town in front of the candy store includes jars with individually drawn treats and other festive delicacies. The townwide celebration features instruments, creative costumes, and a diverse crowd of people. There are three children who appear as the focus of the illustrations, though there are many secondary characters. One bespectacled White child is drawn in a manual wheelchair, another has dark brown skin, the third presents Asian. The child in the wheelchair is shown as a full participant. Readers will enjoy spotting spooks like a vampire, goblin, and werewolf, as they sometimes appear in the background and other times blend in with the crowd. The familiar trappings of Halloween paired with the robust illustrations will have little readers wanting to reread even if the content itself is not startlingly new.
High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-0586-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
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