A comforting dispatch about interplanetary acceptance.
Spacesuit-clad James touches down from an intergalactic commute just in time for the first day of school.
Unbound by the laws of gravity, the young earthling, who presents East Asian, nervously navigates life on a new planet, logging questions along the way in a letter to home. What’s the deal with the bathroom? Is James’ name really so hard for extraterrestrials to pronounce? And just what are the rules to slime-ball? With help from a crew of otherworldly classmates, James learns to confront the self-doubt that sometimes accompanies difference, affirming in equal measure the importance of vulnerability and the value of diversity. Adult readers may understand that the story’s climactic declaration—“It turns out I am the alien here”—carries particular weight given current conversations around immigration and xenophobia. Deeply approachable in tone, the text’s epistolary style and first-person perspective offer emotional insights into the experience of relocation. Throughout, James can be seen writing and drawing in a book; this metanarrative structure places the story we’re reading at the center of James’ journey, while visible pencil strokes suggest that the child is the story’s illustrator, too. Charming visual details such as interstellar traffic signage add narrative depth to the appealingly spare illustrations, while the endpapers, which feature whimsical doodles on notebook paper, complement similarly styled elements throughout. That the main character shares a name with the author/illustrator only serves to underscore the tale’s self-referential, personal nature.
A comforting dispatch about interplanetary acceptance. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 1, 2025
ISBN: 9781419771149
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: April 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2025
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it.
What happens when a robot washes up alone on an island?
“Everything was just right on the island.” Brown beautifully re-creates the first days of Roz, the protagonist of his Wild Robot novels, as she adapts to living in the natural world. A storm-tossed ship, seen in the opening just before the title page, and a packing crate are the only other human-made objects to appear in this close-up look at the robot and her new home. Roz emerges from the crate, and her first thought as she sets off up a grassy hill—”This must be where I belong”—is sweetly glorious, a note of recognition rather than conquest. Roz learns to move, hide, and communicate like the creatures she meets. When she discovers an orphaned egg—and the gosling Brightbill, who eventually hatches—her decision to be his mother seems a natural extension of her adaptation. Once he flies south for the winter, her quiet wait across seasons for his return is a poignant portrayal of separation and change. Brown’s clean, precise lines and deep, light-filled colors offer a sense of what Roz might be seeing, suggesting a place that is alive yet deeply serene and radiant. Though the book stands alone, it adds an immensely appealing dimension to Roz’s world. Round thumbnails offer charming peeks into the island world, depicting Roz’s animal neighbors and Brightbill’s maturation.
A hymn to the intrinsic loveliness of the wild and the possibility of sharing it. (author’s note) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 24, 2025
ISBN: 9780316669467
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
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