Readers will be charmed and reassured by the reminder that, with love and support, a change in perspective is possible.
Through a series of pointed questions, a ghost interrogates a companion’s bad mood and helps to create a shift—at least for a moment.
“I hate everything!” declares a large frowning spirit. A smaller ghost gently pushes back: “Do you hate me?” “No, I don’t hate you. BUT I HATE EVERYTHING ELSE!” Lightly textured floating ghosts of the white-sheet variety appear on variously colored pages. The flat, mostly empty backgrounds change in color and tone throughout, reflecting the bigger ghost’s feelings. When the large ghost reiterates the title phrase, reds and oranges emphasize the angry heat of the speaker’s emotions. When the smaller ghost elicits a positive response, greens, blues, and lavenders suggest a calmer mood. Simply drawn mouths and eyes are remarkably expressive. The enormous yawning blackness of the larger ghost’s mouth perfectly captures the anguish of being stuck in a bad mood, while the smaller ghost’s mobile eyebrows clearly convey concern and caring. Eventually, the smaller ghost lists a double-page spread’s worth of people and experiences, appealingly pictured in bright colors (“Do you hate…flowers? Balloons? Strawberries?”). The bigger ghost doesn’t hate those things, either, and voices another equally extreme opinion, highlighted against sunny yellow: “I LOVE EVERYTHING!” This joy doesn’t last long, though, leading to a quiet chuckle as the book closes.
Readers will be charmed and reassured by the reminder that, with love and support, a change in perspective is possible. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2025
ISBN: 9781665980494
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
A reassuring riff on embracing imperfections.
A young rabbit frets about her upcoming violin performance in Icelandic singer-songwriter Laufey’s literary debut.
Mei Mei’s dream—“to share her music with the world”—is about to come true. She’s having her very first recital, complete with an orchestra, at the H’Opera House. But the day before the concert, Mei Mei is racked with anxiety. What if she plays a bum note in front of everyone? Sure enough, the worst happens mid-performance: She hits a clinker. But by remembering her mom’s reassuring sentiments from the night before (“Feel the wind…find the notes to make it right”), Mei Mei summons the strength to soldier on, and “wrong notes become right. Dissonance becomes beautiful.” At times, it all feels more like a resilience parable than a story, and the writing can be precious (“The flutter of butterflies wakes Mei Mei from her slumber”). Still, the message is solid, bolstered by O’Hara’s pencil and watercolor illustrations, which are plush-toy soft—fitting, as even prior to this book’s publication, a stuffed Mei Mei has been for sale at Grammy winner Laufey’s website. The tale features an all-animal, all-adorable cast, and endearingly, the art betrays no hint of modern times. A standout image presents Mei Mei onstage, temporarily incapacitated by her mistake and imagining her fellow musicians and their instruments with the color-blasted menace of an expressionist painting.
A reassuring riff on embracing imperfections. (author’s note, glossary) (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: April 21, 2026
ISBN: 9798217051748
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
Sure to have little ones giggling.
Jacques is a hedgehog with a big secret: “I wear real, bona fide underwear.”
Our narrator received a mysterious package one day; an illustration shows a pair of underwear tied to a balloon with a note “from the Universe” floating down into Jacques’ burrow. Hedgehogs don’t wear underwear, however. Will Jacques be shunned? Jacques worries but comes to a decision: “I have to wear them. When I do I feel special.” Determined, Jacques, who’s been invited to a party, makes a dramatic entrance, with undies in hand. Jacques’ declaration (“I WEAR UNDERWEAR”) is met with remarks of dismay, before another hedgehog opens up about similar fears and shows off a pair of cowboy boots. More hedgehogs introduce themselves with their own confessions. The story ends with Jacques unveiling a painting of the underwear in a gallery filled with hedgehogs wearing all sorts of attire. Though the book is simple in plot, characters, and setting, it wins in its balance of bathroom humor, dramatic storytelling, and celebrations of individual expression. French words are peppered throughout, adding to the fun without detracting from the story for those unfamiliar with the language. The cartoonish illustrations brim with fun; Valdez relies heavily on geometric shapes (triangle noses for the hedgehogs; huge circles for their eyes). Details such as speech bubbles and recurring turtle and snake characters contribute to the outlandish humor.
Sure to have little ones giggling. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781250814388
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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