An amusing addition to a series that is sure to please newly independent readers.
In Saunders’ illustrated children’s book, class pet day is interrupted by a talking parakeet.
Schoolgirl Wesley Rose is unsure about what to do when she’s assigned to bring a pet to school. While she ponders whether or not she can get away with bringing the plastic blowfish she won at a carnival, her best friend Margie wonders what the classroom will be like filled with pets, especially with her parakeet Kiki in the mix. The girls know all too well how much Kiki loves to talk; they’re the ones who taught her. While some of what Kiki says is nonsense, sometimes Kiki tells the truth, even if it’s a secret. Just as they feared, Kiki proves to be a constant distraction at school the next day. When Wesley Rose presents her blowfish to the class, Kiki interrupts: “I’ve got a seeecret. I’ve got a secret.” Then, while Mrs. Hinkle, Wesley Rose’s teacher, conducts a spelling test, Kiki spells out the answers for the kid. Finally, when Mrs. Hinkle has had enough and sends Kiki to the coat closet, the bird falls asleep, snores, and falls off her own perch, creating yet more distractions. When the lunch bell rings, Wesley Rose and Margie want to stay in the classroom to make sure Kiki doesn’t cause more trouble, but Mrs. Hinkle shoos them away. One of their classmates, Kevin, lags behind, and Kiki hears hissecret, one that will lead to Wesley Rose and Margie getting their classmate help with his mysterious problem. Saunders’ second Wesley Rose book is energized by the protagonist’s good-humored personality and Kiki’s silly shenanigans in the classroom. While the narrative feels slightly disjointed when the focus shifts to Kevin, a character who seems to come out of the blue, the hand-drawn illustrations by the real-life Wesley Rose (on whom the series is based) lend an innocent charm to the finer story points.
An amusing addition to a series that is sure to please newly independent readers. (ages 5-7)Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2024
ISBN: 979-8344763927
Page Count: 36
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Feb. 21, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader!
Fun with friends makes for a great day.
Norbit, a salmon-colored worm with a pink kerchief, joyfully greets the day and everyone he encounters. “Hello, friends! It’s time for fun with the sun! Let’s play!” He and his menagerie of forest pals—including the sun, who grows limbs and descends from the sky—exuberantly engage in various forms of physical activity such as jumping, going down a slide, spinning around, and watching the clouds go by. Young readers will readily relate, as these are games that most children are familiar with. As day turns to night, Norbit says farewell to Sun and welcomes Moon with an invitation to continue the fun. Watkins has created a vivid world of movement and merriment. Her illustrations feature bright bursts of color that match the energy of the text, with most sentences ending in an exclamation point. The author/illustrator incorporates many elements that make for an ideal early-reading experience (despite the use of a contraction or two): art free from clutter, text consisting of words with only one or two syllables, and repetition and recurring bits, such as a continued game of hide-and-seek with Sun. Inspired by never-before-seen sketches from the Dr. Seuss Collection archives at the University of California San Diego, this is the first title for Seuss Studios, a new imprint for original stories from “emerging authors and illustrators” who “honor Seuss’s hallmark spirit of creativity and imagination.”
Say hello to a relatable and rewarding early reader! (author's note) (Early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9780593646212
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Seuss Studios
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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