A radiant love letter to family, beachy summer days, and the freedom to let your hair down.
An impromptu beach adventure sprouts from the bed heads of a loving family.
A young, curly-haired, brown-skinned child awakens to a hairdo that just screams “beach day,” according to Mommy and Daddy, who sport similar but distinct bed heads of their own. Their skin tones and hair textures (Mommy presents Black, while Daddy is pale-skinned and dark-haired) are a welcome reminder that family members often look different from one another; indeed, highlighting difference becomes a prominent element throughout the book. Woodfolk and Mata celebrate differences, from the hats the family dons to leave home (“Mommy’s is wide and bendy,” “Daddy’s is pulled down low and tight,” “Mine looks like the bucket I’ll shovel sand into soon”) to people’s beach hair they come across when they arrive (“TWISTY and TWIRLY,” “ORANGEY and OILY”). The trio quickly remove their hats when they realize that everyone else’s hair is “WILD and FREE.” The sun is shining, the water looks inviting, and who can resist the palm trees, birds, and splashing beach visitors, brought to life by spirited, full-color digital illustrations? Woodfolk describes the beachgoers’ various hair textures, colors, and styles with delightful similes that compare hair to everything from “slippery seaweed” to “soft-serve ice cream,” which will elicit laughs in readers, just as with our protagonist.
A radiant love letter to family, beachy summer days, and the freedom to let your hair down. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: June 4, 2024
ISBN: 9781665920988
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
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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