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WE ARE BROTHERS, WE ARE FRIENDS

Equal parts reassurance and road map, done with skill and charm.

“We will have adventures, just the two of us.”

Some kids might see the intrusion of a new siblings as a burden, but not this effervescent older brother. From the get-go he embraces his little brother, promising “I have lots to show you….” Together (always together) he and the new baby will explore trains, planes, dinosaurs, and have adventures galore. They may not be able to do everything together, but at least the new baby will have someone on his side. There’s always room for gentle books for older kids about their new younger sibs. Penfold stresses above all the notion that even though a baby isn’t much for company, you can still be friends. The book is also rife with suggestive sentences such as “I will share my best toys,” which is followed immediately by “and my mama and my dada, too.” Kaban’s art, which renders the entire family as light-skinned, offers lively, loving depictions and clever visual counterpoints and narratives, as when the older brother modifies a game from ninjas to peekaboo to better please the baby. The moral at the end is clear: you may not be able to do everything with your little brother, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be pals.

Equal parts reassurance and road map, done with skill and charm. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Feb. 28, 2017

ISBN: 978-0-374-30201-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Review Posted Online: Nov. 1, 2016

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2016

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PAPA DOESN'T DO ANYTHING!

A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren.

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In talk-show host Fallon and illustrator Ordóñez’s latest picture-book collaboration, an elderly pooch waxes rhapsodic about a life well lived.

Observing Papa sitting in his chair watching TV all day, a young pup says, “I’m starting to think…you don’t do ANYTHING.” So Papa proceeds to list his accomplishments, both big and small, mundane and profound. Some are just a result of being older and physically bigger (being tall enough to reach a high shelf and strong enough to open jars); others include winning a race and performing in a band when he was younger. Eventually, the pup realizes that while Papa may have slowed down in his old age, he’s led a full life. The most satisfying thing about Papa’s life now? Watching his grandchild take center stage: “I can say lots of thoughts / but I choose to be quiet. / I’d rather you discover things and then try it.” Fallon’s straightforward text is sweetly upbeat, though it occasionally lacks flow, forcing incongruous situations together to fit the rhyme scheme (“I cook and I mow, / and I once flew a plane. // I play newspaper puzzles because it’s good for my brain”). Featuring uncluttered, colorful backgrounds, Ordóñez’s child-friendly digital art at times takes on sepia tones, evoking the sense of looking back at old photos or memories. Though the creators tread familiar ground, the love between Papa and his little one is palpable.

A tale of intergenerational bonding to be shared by grandparents and grandchildren. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: May 13, 2025

ISBN: 9781250393975

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Feiwel & Friends

Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025

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LITTLE RED SLEIGH

Sadly, the storytelling runs aground.

A little red sleigh has big Christmas dreams.

Although the detailed, full-color art doesn’t anthropomorphize the protagonist (which readers will likely identify as a sled and not a sleigh), a close third-person text affords the object thoughts and feelings while assigning feminine pronouns. “She longed to become Santa’s big red sleigh,” reads an early line establishing the sleigh’s motivation to leave her Christmas-shop home for the North Pole. Other toys discourage her, but she perseveres despite creeping self-doubt. A train and truck help the sleigh along, and when she wishes she were big, fast, and powerful like them, they offer encouragement and counsel patience. When a storm descends after the sleigh strikes out on her own, an unnamed girl playing in the snow brings her to a group of children who all take turns riding the sleigh down a hill. When the girl brings her home, the sleigh is crestfallen she didn’t reach the North Pole. A convoluted happily-ever-after ending shows a note from Santa that thanks the sleigh for giving children joy and invites her to the North Pole next year. “At last she understood what she was meant to do. She would build her life up spreading joy, one child at a time.” Will she leave the girl’s house to be gifted to other children? Will she stay and somehow also reach ever more children? Readers will be left wondering. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 31.8% of actual size.)

Sadly, the storytelling runs aground. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-72822-355-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland

Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020

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