The shindig of the season—no reader will want to miss this one.
Anything is possible on the night of the Blue Moon Ball.
“Spirits are high in the swamp tonight” as animals from all walks of life come out festooned in fabulous frocks and snazzy suits to do the "turtle trot” and the “feather flounce” while enjoying a grand buffet of delectable treats and guessing whose dance moves will be crowned the best. The sudden arrival of Blanche Beauregard, a fearsome yet fashionable alligator clad in pearls, high heels, a feather boa, and a floor-length purple gown, threatens to put a damper on the festivities. But in the end, a vivacious display of movement proves these fears baseless. Hackett has crafted an enticing tale delivering a warning not to assume the worst about others—and suggesting that just about all ills can be cured through the power of dance. Her humorous, melodic verse has the dynamic flow of a jazzy tune ("Stretching her backbone / and clearing her throat, / in the delicate mist, / Blanche seems to float”). With her watercolor, gouache, colored pencil, and oil pastel art, Sala makes adept use of page turns to capture both the elegance of the occasion and the unbridled catharsis the animals experience while giving themselves over to the music. And her characters are all utterly expressive—with her long lashes and graceful moves, Blanche is truly the belle of the ball.
The shindig of the season—no reader will want to miss this one. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 13, 2027
ISBN: 9781536256673
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2026
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
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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