Silly and heartwarming in equal measure.
Grub the raccoon just can’t wait for Seed the seed to grow into a cheeseburger plant.
Grub loves cheeseburgers, although his real-life cheeseburger experience is limited. When Grub finds Seed in the garbage, he plants him in the hopes of growing a cheeseburger plant. Seed isn’t exactly sure what he’s going to grow into, but he wants to make his new friend happy. When he finally blooms, he’s not quite what Grub had been hoping for. This utterly charming book is full of humor in both the text and the adorable illustrations. Grub’s expressive face is delightful, whether he’s disappointed, deep in contemplation, or giving a hard side-eye. The primary moral of the story is that we should accept our friends for who they are, not try to change them. But the author also incorporates some more subtle and sophisticated lessons. Seed’s calm, cheerful attitude toward his unknown future models an open-minded acceptance of change. Grub’s initial disappointment and ensuing loving acceptance feel emotionally authentic and sweet without being saccharine, highlighted by the affecting double-page illustrations. Both characters experience growth and discovery in their identities, demonstrating that it’s OK to not know exactly what the future holds for you. Don’t mistake these messages for preachiness, though. It is enjoyable purely as a funny and touching story about a raccoon and a seed who are friends. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Silly and heartwarming in equal measure. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-300394-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
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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