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 his 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
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
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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