Equestrian adoration brought to life via breathtaking artwork—an unequivocal champion.
In this Dutch import, love conquers all—even puberty.
From the moment they meet, it’s love at first sight. Kiki, a pale-skinned young girl, instantly befriends our nameless narrator, a gorgeous horse with a deep black coat. Kiki feeds, grooms, and tidies up after her horse, and the two go on epic rides over different seasons and in various locations. Timmers alternates between meticulous black-and-white pen-and-ink sequences, where nearly every muscle in the horse’s hide is visible, and jaw-dropping full-color wordless landscapes rendered in acrylic. When Kiki grows older and begins spending more time with a new friend (a potential romantic interest), the horse feels insecure: “Maybe Kiki didn’t want me anymore.” The horse’s fear of abandonment is palpable; readers will worry that our hero will be put out to pasture. But Timmers brings the narrative to a delightful ending: The horse is given a companion, too, and Kiki makes it clear that she still adores our protagonist. Timmers’ deeply satisfying conclusion emphasizes that there’s more than enough love to go around; this tale will easily become a beloved classic on the shelves of horse fans. Heck, even the horse averse will cave under the sheer beauty of the illustrations.
Equestrian adoration brought to life via breathtaking artwork—an unequivocal champion. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2026
ISBN: 9798348041700
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Gecko Press
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
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
The runaway cookie in this Mexican bakery is a soft, brown, stubby-tailed piglet as impertinently bold and smug in his continual escape as his Gingerbread Boy cousin. “Chase me! Chase me down the street. But this is one piggy you won’t get to eat! / ¡Córrele, córrele! ¡Y Córrele más! ¡Soy el cochinito que jamás comerás!” This bouncy dual refrain extends the familiar cumulative text, rendered in both English and Spanish, as piggy manages to elude Marta the baker, Lorenzo the mechanic, Mamá Nita the beautician, Joaquín the telephone repairman and a host of other neighborhood adults—until he is outsmarted by Rosa, a little girl on her way to school, who foxily “helps him” cross the street. Safely tucked into her backpack, piggy is both a welcome surprise and an excuse for Rosa’s lateness to class. Deep opaque acrylic paintings of a colorful barrio and its residents in pursuit add the right amount of cultural flavor to this vivid Latino retelling. Recipe appended. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Nov. 30, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-55885-586-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Piñata Books/Arte Público
Review Posted Online: Sept. 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2010
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