A wholly gratifying tale of a small fish in a huge pond that nevertheless proves its mettle.
Little or big, the puffer fish knows itself very well.
This excellent early reader starts out with a case of classic one-upmanship as a school of colorful small fry approach a slightly larger, yellow puffer fish. “Wow, you are a big fish,” they say admiringly. A nearby jumbo shrimp isn’t impressed and says so, injecting wordplay for good measure: “No, you are not. I am big, and I am shrimp-ly amazing.” Bigger and bigger marine life appear in the playful, cartoon-style illustrations, each one declaring itself larger (and by implication, better), but the yellow fish holds its ground. “If you are a big fish, then PROVE IT,” chides a blue-colored fish. In an admirable display of integrity and self-possession, the yellow fish responds, “No, I do not have to. I am leaving.” Cue the Jaws music: Just after those who have been teasing the yellow fish declare themselves hungry, a shark appears on the verso of the spread. “I would love a nice BIG FISH.” Exercising terrific use of composition and layout, Jin has all the others flee to the right on the recto, suddenly eager to proclaim their relative smallness—all except the yellow fish. In a supremely satisfying twist, “POP! POOF!,” the little yellow fish puffs up to dominate the page, outsizing all rivals—even the shark!
A wholly gratifying tale of a small fish in a huge pond that nevertheless proves its mettle. (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781665983402
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon Spotlight
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
A charming tale of an athlete who may not steal any bases but who will certainly steal readers’ hearts.
Ohtani, pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, teams up with Blank and Liem to tell the story of how his dog, Decoy, threw out a ceremonial first pitch.
It’s a big day! Decoy leaps “off the bed. Then back onto the bed. Then off the bed.” The enthusiastic pup heads outside to practice with his lucky baseball but is quickly distracted by squirrels (“we’ll play later!”), airplanes (“flyin’ high!”), and flowers (“smell ya soon!”). Dog and pitcher then head to the ballpark. In the locker room, Decoy high-paws Shohei’s teammates. It’s nearly time! But as Shohei prepares to warm up, Decoy realizes that he’s forgotten something important: his lucky ball. Without it, there will be “no championships, no parades, and no hot dogs!” Back home he goes, returning just in time. With Shohei at the plate, Decoy runs from the mound to his owner, rolling the ball into Shohei’s mitt for a “Striiiiike!” Related from a dog’s point of view, Ohtani and Blank’s energetic text lends the tale a sense of urgency and suspense. Liem’s illustrations capture the excitement of the first day of baseball season and the joys of locker room camaraderie, as well as Shohei and Decoy’s mutual affection—even when the ball is drenched in slobber, Shohei’s love for his pet shines through, and clearly, Decoy is focused when it matters.
A charming tale of an athlete who may not steal any bases but who will certainly steal readers’ hearts. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2026
ISBN: 9780063460775
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Oct. 10, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2025
Hee haw.
The print version of a knee-slapping cumulative ditty.
In the song, Smith meets a donkey on the road. It is three-legged, and so a “wonky donkey” that, on further examination, has but one eye and so is a “winky wonky donkey” with a taste for country music and therefore a “honky-tonky winky wonky donkey,” and so on to a final characterization as a “spunky hanky-panky cranky stinky-dinky lanky honky-tonky winky wonky donkey.” A free musical recording (of this version, anyway—the author’s website hints at an adults-only version of the song) is available from the publisher and elsewhere online. Even though the book has no included soundtrack, the sly, high-spirited, eye patch–sporting donkey that grins, winks, farts, and clumps its way through the song on a prosthetic metal hoof in Cowley’s informal watercolors supplies comical visual flourishes for the silly wordplay. Look for ready guffaws from young audiences, whether read or sung, though those attuned to disability stereotypes may find themselves wincing instead or as well.
Hee haw. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-0-545-26124-1
Page Count: 26
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2018
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