Mild but snug, best enjoyed alongside a hot cup of cocoa.
A black cat discovers winter’s quiet joys.
Inquisitive Willow awakens to a surprise: “Last night brought a blue blanket of snow.” Eager to experience this seasonal development, she sets out. Willow notes changes in the natural world, described in lilting language. She tumbles off the “slick” chicken coop and savors the “soft cloud” feeling of the snow. She observes animals, including geese migrating and deer grazing. Willow briefly notes human rituals, including a lit menorah and “colorful tree…wrapped in starlight.” After a day pondering how “the season is slow. / A chance to rest,” she meanders home for a “tasty meal from a familiar face.” Reflecting the theme of winter dormancy, Lewis’ pensive narrative is leisurely paced, making it a calming bedtime story candidate. Occasionally, though, it veers toward winding. Some detours, including visits to a cow and beehive, add bulk, and a repeated sense refrain stating “this is what Winter looks” (and feels, tastes, and sounds) like bewilderingly omits smell, despite later describing the scent of “cinnamon and chocolate.” Lewis’ dreamy digital illustrations in gentle boho colors are much stronger. Willow’s sweet face is expressive, and her lithe body pops against the creamy snow. Spreads showing her peering at her reflection in a mottled, icy pond or prancing across a slushy crosswalk amid “rosy” dusk are warmly appealing. The humans pictured are diverse in skin tone; Willow’s young owner is brown-skinned.
Mild but snug, best enjoyed alongside a hot cup of cocoa. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Nov. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9781250353788
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Godwin Books
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: yesterday
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2026
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