Timely and familiar, an endlessly charming ode to imagination and enjoying guilty pleasures for the preschool set.
After their father leaves the room, a young child turns an ordinary home office into a covert playground of joy and wonder.
Despite the sign that clearly marks the home office as “OFF-LIMITS,” a young child seizes the opportunity to explore the space unsupervised. Rationalizing their intrusion as harmless, the curious explorer then sneaks “one little teeny-tiny piece” of tape. This small transgression snowballs until a lamp, stapler, and the child themselves are covered in tape. Moving on, the intrepid decorator discovers paper clips and binder clips. These are linked together to form joyous loops that circle around the child like a choreographed ballet. The pièce de résistance comes with the discovery of small, pastel sticky-notes that create a kaleidoscopic riot of patterns and color. This delightful tale highlights the power of play and the satisfaction of enjoying something forbidden. The simple text gives a sweet, inquisitive voice to the child. The cartoonish style featuring exaggerated facial expressions and body movements reinforces the hyperbolic tone and good-natured humor of the story. Throughout this escapade, there is an underlying tension that the child might get caught as the situation escalates. However, the conclusion shows that pretend play is both empowering and universal. The child has dark brown hair and medium-toned skin; the father has blond hair and light skin.
Timely and familiar, an endlessly charming ode to imagination and enjoying guilty pleasures for the preschool set. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0731-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
Menacing and most likely to appeal to established fans of its co-creators.
Existing artwork from an artistic giant inspires a fairy-tale reimagination by a master of the horror genre.
In King’s interpretation of a classic Brothers Grimm story, which accompanies set and costume designs that the late Sendak created for a 1997 production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera, siblings Hansel and Gretel survive abandonment in the woods and an evil witch’s plot to gobble them up before finding their “happily ever after” alongside their father. Prose with the reassuring cadence of an old-timey tale, paired with Sendak’s instantly recognizable artwork, will lull readers before capitalizing on these creators’ knack for injecting darkness into seemingly safe spaces. Gaping faces loom in crevices of rocks and trees, and a gloomy palette of muted greens and ocher amplify the story’s foreboding tone, while King never sugarcoats the peach-skinned children’s peril. Branches with “clutching fingers” hide “the awful enchanted house” of a “child-stealing witch,” all portrayed in an eclectic mix of spot and full-bleed images. Featuring insults that might strike some as harsh (“idiot,” “fool”), the lengthy, dense text may try young readers’ patience, and the often overwhelmingly ominous mood feels more pitched to adults—particularly those familiar with King and Sendak—but an introduction acknowledges grandparents as a likely audience, and nostalgia may prompt leniency over an occasional disconnect between words and art.
Menacing and most likely to appeal to established fans of its co-creators. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9780062644695
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2025
An endearing ode to big siblinghood.
A buffalo is disconcerted when his daily routine is disrupted by a newborn.
Kalb begins with the playful rhymes and rhythms she employed in Buffalo Fluffalo (2024). Fluffalo, having learned a lesson in cooperation in his earlier outing, happily cavorts with Ram, Crow, and Prairie Dog before enjoying some thoughtful alone time and then settling down to sleep at dusk. A loud wailing sound wakes him at dawn and continues into daybreak. “‘What could that be?’ huffed tired old Fluffalo. / ‘I’ve said it before—I’ve had enuffalo!’” When he discovers that the sound is coming from a tiny buffalo, he becomes both irate and alarmed. Fortunately, his friends show up and assure him that the little one just needs some time to learn and grow. Fluffalo calms down and admits that the baby is a bit cute—something readers will have already realized, thanks to Kraan’s sweetly imaginative art. In the ensuing pages, Fluffalo mentors the loving Puffalo, including the baby in his daily activities and fielding (some of) Puff’s many questions. Readers with younger siblings will appreciate the subtle acknowledgment that Fluffalo’s new role can be taxing, but overall, the tale affirms the joy of mentoring, while the colorful, stylized art perfectly complements the upbeat verse. It’s easy to imagine an older child reading this story to a younger one at bedtime.
An endearing ode to big siblinghood. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2025
ISBN: 9780593810309
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House Studio
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
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