Joyous, warm, and tender.
Memories of family visits to Grandpa Martin’s beach hut resonate through the years.
The book’s young narrator explains that it feels as though the sun is always shining on the bright yellow “happy hut.” Each season brings with it its own delights. In spring, Grandpa Martin leads the way as the protagonist and two siblings explore the seashore. In summer, they picnic on the deck, splash in the ocean, and spend evenings listening to Grandpa Martin’s stories and counting the stars. Fall is the protagonist’s favorite season—when the “Happy Hut Helpers” paint and make necessary repairs. Winter means chilly shore walks and cozy gatherings around the little stove. But Grandpa Martin’s illness changes everything. While the family visits him in the hospital, the hut remains alone and empty—and perhaps lonely, the narrator worries. That winter, a storm rages, and the family returns the following spring to find the hut battered and broken. But they all pitch in, mending, painting, and installing a nameplate labeled “Martin” to commemorate their grandfather, who has apparently passed (his death isn’t explicitly mentioned). Hopgood writes with a light touch, folding in homey details that fully realize Grandfather Martin (his love of woolly socks and slippers, his habit of shouting “Flipping fiddlesticks!”). In the collagelike illustrations, the brown-skinned characters are simple in composition—dots for eyes, a curve of a mouth—while the richly textured backdrops reflect both the characters’ roiling emotions and the shifting seasons.
Joyous, warm, and tender. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: May 20, 2025
ISBN: 9781536235524
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available.
A ghost learns to appreciate his differences.
The little ghost protagonist of this title is unusual. He’s a quilt, not a lightweight sheet like his parents and friends. He dislikes being different despite his mom’s reassurance that his ancestors also had unconventional appearances. Halloween makes the little ghost happy, though. He decides to watch trick-or-treaters by draping over a porch chair—but lands on a porch rail instead. A mom accompanying her daughter picks him up, wraps him around her chilly daughter, and brings him home with them! The family likes his looks and comforting warmth, and the little ghost immediately feels better about himself. As soon as he’s able to, he flies out through the chimney and muses happily that this adventure happened only due to his being a quilt. This odd but gently told story conveys the importance of self-respect and acceptance of one’s uniqueness. The delivery of this positive message has something of a heavy-handed feel and is rushed besides. It also isn’t entirely logical: The protagonist could have been a different type of covering; a blanket, for instance, might have enjoyed an identical experience. The soft, pleasing illustrations’ palette of tans, grays, white, black, some touches of color, and, occasionally, white text against black backgrounds suggest isolation, such as the ghost feels about himself. Most humans, including the trick-or-treating mom and daughter, have beige skin. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-16.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 66.2% of actual size.)
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7352-6447-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
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
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