An affecting and profound story that’s also lovely to look at.
Scapin’s picture book, translated from the Portuguese by Rodrigues, asks what happens to things (and people) we lose.
An unnamed narrator wanders through a landscape full of objects, which they call “the kingdom of lost things.” In this land lives one of her mom’s earrings that once came loose, a book that was lost on a bus, a lucky stone that fell from a pocket, and a plastic toy that was separated from a sandbox. “One day,” the narrator says, “instead of losing things, I lost my grandma. Do people also end up in the kingdom of lost things?” At this revelation, Pirilampus’ brightly colored, abstract collage illustrations become grayscale as the narrator recalls stories about the mischief her grandmother would get into. As they feel their grandparent’s presence, bits of color touchingly begin to reappear in the images, and when the narrator realizes that “losing is not the same as forgetting,” they’re a riot of hues once again. The choice to shift the brilliantly simple illustrations from vivid color to monochrome and back again gives this story an unexpected emotional depth. It’s effectively paired with accessible and thoughtful text about loss, and the book ultimately becomes something much greater than the sum of its parts.
An affecting and profound story that’s also lovely to look at.Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2025
ISBN: 9798869138583
Page Count: 42
Publisher: Catavento Press
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2026
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note.
Little Honey Bunny Funnybunny loves baseball almost as much as she loves her big brother P.J.—though it’s a close-run thing.
Readers familiar with the pranks P.J. plays on his younger sibling in older episodes of the series (most illustrated by Roger Bollen) will be amused—and perhaps a little confused—to see him in the role of perfect big brother after meeting his swaddled little sister for the first time in mama’s lap. But here, along with being a constant companion and “always happy to see her,” he cements his heroic status in her eyes by hitting a home run for his baseball team and then patiently teaching her how to play T-ball. After carefully coaching her and leading her through warm-up exercises, he even sits in the stands, loudly cheering her on as she scores the winning run in her own very first game. “‘You are the best brother a bunny could ever have!’” she burbles. This tale’s a tad blander compared with others centered on P.J. and his sister, but it’s undeniably cheery, with text well structured for burgeoning readers. The all-smiles animal cast in Bowers’ cartoon art features a large and diversely hued family of bunnies sporting immense floppy ears as well as a multispecies crowd of furry onlookers equally varied of color, with one spectator in a wheelchair.
A tale of mutual adoration that hits a sweet note. (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9798217032464
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
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