A meaningful and heartwarming tale that shares lessons of goodwill, generosity, and gratitude.
Wanting to find a way to do good during Hajj, a young Muslim child shares water with fellow pilgrims from all over the world.
Mariam, Mama, and Dad are among the millions embarking on Hajj, the once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca). Mama says, “Hajj is a time to do good, share, and be thankful.” Brainstorming ways to do good, Mariam thinks of the perfect idea: sharing Zamzam—water from an ancient, blessed well of the same name—with others. With each cup of water Mariam distributes, the young protagonist learns ways to express thanks in different languages and samples delicious foods like syrupy koeksisters from South Africa and Indonesian pandan cookies shared in return, each as unique as the pilgrims Mariam meets. But will Mariam have enough Zamzam for everyone? Gutta explores a potentially lesser-known pillar of Islam with text that both educates and entertains. Dawoud’s digital collage illustrations perfectly capture the essence of Hajj—the crowds, the awe-inspiring rituals, and the camaraderie that comes from sharing such an important spiritual event—all while portraying the cultural diversity of its attendees in a broad range of skin tones and physical abilities. Mariam is brown-skinned, though the child’s ethnic identity isn’t mentioned. The backmatter reinforces learning with the story of the Zamzam Well, information on Hajj, and more.
A meaningful and heartwarming tale that shares lessons of goodwill, generosity, and gratitude. (photos, treats and thanks from around the word, five pillars of Islam, dressing for Hajj, glossary, steps of Umrah and Hajj, author’s and illustrator’s notes) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9798888592366
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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