This witty story of friendship and dogged determination will appeal to young and adult readers alike.
A fun-loving pooch has a very tough first day at doggie daycare in Shepardson’s middle-grade chapter book.
If Hank had his way, he’d spend all day every day with his “favorite little human.” But Paisy is starting kindergarten, and she and “Hu-Mom” don’t want Hank to be home alone. So, the next day, his humans leave him at Canines Unleashed, a doggie daycare. As Hank tries to make friends, he quickly learns that some of his typical behavior, like jumping when excited, is a big no-no at this place, and that breaking the rules could land him in a special training class or even doggie jail. As if that weren’t bad enough, one of the daycare regulars, Fred, isn’t a Hank fan; he goes out of his way to get Hank in trouble or steal his food. It’s a whole new experience at daycare, getting used to different nap times and learning when not to howl; Hank just wants to make it through the day so he can go home to Paisy. Shepardson’s fetching tale shows the importance of pet training: Hank is a gentle, loving dog, but he doesn’t know or abide by certain commands, which can be a real problem out in public. Fred is an effective antagonist, and Luna the Portie makes a superb counterpart—a potential new friend who’s there to support and comfort Hank. The four-legged hero has a big heart; despite his bad day, he constantly thinks about Paisy and hopes that her first day at school is going better than his. The author loads the pages with waggish, canine-relevant wordplay, like “pawsome,” “fur-ever,” and things that are simply “BARK-TASTIC.” Kwong’s black-and-white artwork enlivens the text, highlighting Hank’s best moments playing with toys or being happily covered in suds.
This witty story of friendship and dogged determination will appeal to young and adult readers alike.Pub Date: Nov. 19, 2024
ISBN: 9798336923353
Page Count: 92
Publisher: Clear Fork Press
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
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
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