A magical portrait of the unique ways we look at life and connect with others.
Undersea adventures await!
Arthur awakens one morning with his bed soaked through. His mother, clad in a snorkel mask and air tank, takes him to the doctor to see what caused his bedwetting. As the doctor, dressed in an atmospheric diving suit, examines Arthur, he finds himself submerged underwater. Arthur’s heartbeat sounds “like a submarine radar,” his breath like “restless dolphins.” After further investigation leads to a playful, more immersive look at Arthur’s undersea world—full of high-spirited fish, mermaids, and whales—the doctor realizes that Arthur misses the thing that he loves most: the sea. Originally published in Brazil and beautifully translated from Portuguese by Dantas Lobato, this is a deeply fantastical look at the rich interior life of a possibly neurodivergent child (Canônica’s author’s note mentions that the book was partly inspired by her experiences with children on the autism spectrum). Massarani’s illustrations, depicting human characters with simple black outlines and relying on a palette of stark shades of blues and greens, portray a world free of restraints where imagination and an abiding love of the ocean reign supreme (front endpapers showcase Arthur in utero underwater surrounded by a school of fish). While Arthur’s mother is justifiably worried, the doctor takes an open-minded approach, honoring the boy’s creative outlook; youngsters with a different perspective will feel seen—and appreciated. All characters have skin the color of the page.
A magical portrait of the unique ways we look at life and connect with others. (illustrator’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 24, 2026
ISBN: 9798988749998
Page Count: 44
Publisher: Tapioca Stories
Review Posted Online: Feb. 16, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2026
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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
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