A quiet tale to spur useful conversation about blame, accountability, and apologies.
The elephant and human child introduced in How To Cheer Up a Friend (2024) continue to deal with the ups and downs of friendship.
The two carry a large basket full of colorful blocks, and the brown-skinned youngster quickly constructs a tower, only for the elephant to place a yellow truck on top, sending the blocks tumbling. Does the pachyderm take responsibility? At first, the animal looks a bit embarrassed. Meanwhile, an unseen narrator poses thoughtful questions: “What do you do… // when something you’ve done… / really, really / upsets someone? // Do you say it’s something you’d never do? / A squirrel did it— / of course not you!” The child is visibly upset, and the elephant’s mind races (thought bubbles indicate the pachyderm’s varied emotional responses). Eventually, the elephant utters those magic words: “I’m sorry.” The narration continues: “The answer you want might not come right away. / But if you wait… / and wait… / they might finally say… / ‘I forgive you. We’re okay.’” McNeill’s softly hued, smudgy mixed-media illustrations, a combination of gouache, pencil, and cut paper, blend with Calmenson’s plainspoken text for a straightforward yet sensitive exploration of a situation encountered by most kids; the expressive elephant cuts an especially sweet figure—initially hiding behind a tree, drooping with worry, and, at last, cheerfully helping to construct a new tower.
A quiet tale to spur useful conversation about blame, accountability, and apologies. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 17, 2026
ISBN: 9781665958394
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Nov. 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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