Fun and frenetic; a lively look at imaginative play in a real-world setting.
In this picture-book sequel, a young girl learns to channel her chaotic fort-building obsession into something more enduring.
Piper, a dark-haired, honey beige-skinned elementary schooler, isn’t allowed to revamp her bedroom, but has built 32 play forts throughout the summer. These have tended toward an uneasy balance of wild imagination and architectural instability—a pattern soon to be replicated. Piper puts her foot through her 33rd fort (cardboard box-based). Her 34th spills over from bedroom to kitchen, causing parental conniptions. Her 35th incorporates the dining table and so has to be dismantled at dinner time. Drained of energy and ideas, Piper retreats to her boring old bedroom—and then has a brainstorm. She asks her dad for an outside playhouse, and they build a treehouse together (“We used our tool belts every Saturday for two months”). Cino narrates with straightforward prose from Piper’s perspective, offering occasional emphases in bold and deftly capturing both the buoyant joy and the flitting, insular logic of an early elementary schooler. Peres illustrates in a busy, big-eyed cartoon style across single- and two-page spreads. These very much embrace the madcap fort-building spirit, layering commandeered household items and a menagerie of stuffed toys (plus Gary the pet guinea pig) on hazy, autumnal-hued backdrops. In Piper, young readers will discover a memorable, gung-ho, and upbeat protagonist, tellingly aware of her parents’ likely reactions—if blissfully unmindful of them.
Fun and frenetic; a lively look at imaginative play in a real-world setting.Pub Date: Oct. 21, 2025
ISBN: 9798990742222
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whimspire Books
Review Posted Online: July 8, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.
Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.
Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Nice enough but not worth repeat reads. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 29, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022
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