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THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GARDEN

Name: THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GARDEN
Author: Sili Recio
ISBN: 9781665947060

by Sili Recio & Elena Djome Lawrence ; illustrated by Brianna McCarthy ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 3, 2026

A touching reminder that love continues to bloom, long after goodbyes are said.

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A poignant story of grief seen through a child’s eyes.

Accompanied by her mother, a girl visits her late grandmother’s garden—a memorial space where they honor Abuela. The young protagonist recalls spending nearly every day with Abuela as a baby and toddler. Since then, she and her mother have visited the garden, leaving flowers at a headstone. Often, the child brings a balloon and twirls with joy as the breeze blows; sometimes, she gazes over the fence, hoping to see Abuela. But as she grows older, she begins to understand why she can’t return to her grandmother’s blue house and hug Abuela again. As the permanence of her grandmother’s absence sinks in, the girl reflects on the many ways her Abuela still feels present: in the butterflies that land on her fingers, in the playful wind that blows, and in the beauty of the flowers. Recio and Lawrence’s gently understated, lyrical text reminds readers that loved ones live on in the hearts of those they’ve touched, while McCarthy’s richly saturated illustrations capture both the joy of a child exploring nature and the quiet sorrow of a family learning to live with loss. The creators approach a difficult topic with tenderness and understanding, offering comfort and connection. The girl and her mother appear Afro-Latine, with curly black hair, braids, and warm brown skin.

A touching reminder that love continues to bloom, long after goodbyes are said. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: March 3, 2026

ISBN: 9781665947060

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Denene Millner Books/Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES | CHILDREN'S FAMILY

- BOOK REVIEW
IF DOMINICAN WERE A COLOR
by Sili Recio ; illustrated by Brianna McCarthy

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ON THE FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Laura Hughes ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 21, 2016

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...

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Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.

The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.

While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 21, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016

Categories:

CHILDREN'S CONCEPTS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
A PERFECT PLACE TO PLAY
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Jim Valeri

- BOOK REVIEW
ON THE FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Sarah Jennings

- BOOK REVIEW
FIVE LITTLE BUNNIES
by Tish Rabe ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino

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THE PUMPKIN THIEF

From the Leaf Thief series

by Alice Hemming ; illustrated by Nicola Slater ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 28, 2026

More fun antics to satisfy returning fans and snag new ones.

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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)