A lighthearted and quirky walk through the woods.
Celebrated literary spouses Smith and Laird follow up their debut picture book, The Surprise (2022), with another tale of Maud the spirited, judo-loving guinea pig.
As Maud’s owner, Kit, frets about an upcoming school camping trip, her pets privately agree with her misgivings. Dad reassures her, “It’ll all be over before you know it,” but Maud remembers he said the same thing about an injection at the vet’s office. So she stows away in Kit’s backpack; after all, Kit will surely need a friend. But when Maud arrives at camp, Kit’s nowhere to be found. Perhaps Maud’s the one who needs a pal, and she soon finds one in Harvey the hedgehog, who teaches her all about forest survival. Fox’s endearing cartoon art depicts anthropomorphized, friendly-faced animals: Maud sports her customary martial arts uniform, and both she and Harvey walk upright. Mixing vignettes, panels, and full-page spreads, the illustrations draw clever parallels between Kit’s and Maud’s activities: As Kit and the other kids traverse a rope course, Maud and Harvey walk across a log, and as the campers sit by a roaring bonfire, the animals gather around their own, teeny-tiny fire. Though the text is on the wordy side, it pairs well with the art; the forest facts Harvey imparts and the information on camping easily mesh with the more whimsical elements. Kit is biracial: her mother presents Black, while her father is pale-skinned.
A lighthearted and quirky walk through the woods. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 10, 2025
ISBN: 9798217038725
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
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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