Though atypical, this will inspire family togetherness for the holiday.
Annie and her family, introduced in Tashlich at Turtle Rock (2010), celebrate Hanukkah with an outdoor nighttime journey through the snowy woods around their small farm.
On the sixth night, narrator Annie maps out four stops, each with its own significance. At Old Log, Annie hands out hot potatoes to keep in pockets, just as Great-Grandpop did to stay warm in his shtetl. Huddled into Squeezy Cave, Annie turns out the lantern to emphasize the darkness and explains that Hanukkah comes during the shortest days and that on the sixth night there is never a moon. At Billy Goat’s Bridge, Annie creates a makeshift menorah with four of the potatoes with candles stuck in them. Finally, at Turtle Rock, Annie cuts the four remaining potatoes, which the family eats with butter and salt and “a freezing spoonful of fresh snow” drizzled with maple syrup. Some basic concepts of the holiday remain intact despite this altered interpretation, which leaves the explanation of why Hanukkah is celebrated for a concluding note. Deep, indigo-based paintings nicely reflect the night’s frosty outing. The author, a Reconstructionist rabbi, acknowledges this is “an unusual celebration of this winter holiday.” In a nice conclusion, this loving white family offers an improvised thank-you prayer “for celebrating in the peaceful woods on the darkest night of the year…the blessings of Hanukkah.”
Though atypical, this will inspire family togetherness for the holiday. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4677-9321-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: Aug. 23, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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
A nicely inventive little morality “tail” for newly independent readers.
Two little rats decide to show the world how tough they are, with unpredictable results.
Louie and Ralphie Ratso want to be just like their single dad, Big Lou: tough! They know that “tough” means doing mean things to other animals, like stealing Chad Badgerton’s hat. Chad Badgerton is a big badger, so taking that hat from him proves that Louie and Ralphie are just as tough as they want to be. However, it turns out that Louie and Ralphie have just done a good deed instead of a bad one: Chad Badgerton had taken that hat from little Tiny Crawley, a mouse, so when Tiny reclaims it, they are celebrated for goodness rather than toughness. Sadly, every attempt Louie and Ralphie make at doing mean things somehow turns nice. What’s a little boy rat supposed to do to be tough? Plus, they worry about what their dad will say when he finds out how good they’ve been. But wait! Maybe their dad has some other ideas? LaReau keeps the action high and completely appropriate for readers embarking on chapter books. Each of the first six chapters features a new, failed attempt by Louie and Ralphie to be mean, and the final, seventh chapter resolves everything nicely. The humor springs from their foiled efforts and their reactions to their failures. Myers’ sprightly grayscale drawings capture action and characters and add humorous details, such as the Ratsos’ “unwelcome” mat.
A nicely inventive little morality “tail” for newly independent readers. (Fiction. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7636-0
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2016
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