Gently soothing but may struggle to hold readers’ attention.
Rowley adapts his adult novel The Guncle (2021)—a warm and witty tale of loss and family—into picture-book format.
Siblings Maisie, 9, and Grant, 6, are spending the summer with their caftan-wearing GUP (Gay Uncle Patrick) under the warm, sunny blue skies of Palm Springs. The kids are still reeling from the death of their mother, while GUP is confronting a loss of his own (in the original book, his partner died; here, a framed picture hints at the source of his grief). But GUP is determined to cheer everyone up with some perfectly fabulous activities: taking a dip in the pool (filled with oversize floats shaped like Popsicles, doughnuts, and fruit), visiting a dinosaur-themed roadside attraction, and adopting a rambunctious puppy. Nothing works—until an impromptu Christmas in July celebration in the balmy heat elicits smiles. And on the children’s last night, GUP reassures them that while in the future, festivities may feel different, “There’s nothing wrong with that. It’s okay to make up new rules to help you heal.” Young readers with LGBTQ+ family members who live unapologetically out loud will see themselves in this earnestly told story, though others may be put off by the slow pacing and lengthy, at times didactic text. Though Rowley emphasizes the characters’ collective loss, Kaban’s pencil and gouache art features wide-eyed, expressive faces that typically read as disappointed or bored. The main characters are tan-skinned.
Gently soothing but may struggle to hold readers’ attention. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 19, 2026
ISBN: 9798217001873
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2026
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
