Review of Orris and Timble: Star Stories, by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Carmen Mok

Animal Characters, Beginning Chapter Books, Children's Fiction Review, Starred Review 0

Orris and Timble

Star Stories

by Kate DiCamillo
illustrated by Carmen Mok

Candlewick Press, 2026. 76 pages.
Review written April 22, 2026, from a library book.
Starred Review

Kate DiCamillo and Carmen Mok’s beginning chapter book series about a rat and an owl who are friends just got even sweeter.

All the books are gentle, recapping the details of the friendship and thinking about action before it happens. All the books have Orris and Timble telling stories to each other in their nightly meetings.

In this one, Timble invites Orris to fly on his back. Orris isn’t even a little bit interested. But little by little, we see that gently change. Until finally, the saying on Orris’s treasured sardine tin again motivates him to action: Make the good and noble choice!!

It’s all so wonderfully done, taking the reader along on the emotional as well as the physical journey. And with simple language for a beginning reader, too!

katedicamillo.com

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Review of Nani and the Lion, written by Alicia D. Williams, illustrated by Anna Cunha

Animal Characters, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Nani and the Lion

written by Alicia D. Williams
illustrated by Anna Cunha

A Caitlyn Dlouhy Book (Atheneum), 2026. 40 pages.
Review written March 25, 2026, from a library book.
Starred Review

Here’s a new picture book with all the marks of a storytime classic. The setting is a village “across the ocean, where trees stretched far and wide and mountains kissed the sky.” But near the village lives a grumpy lion who doesn’t like noise and declares that no one may make noise in King Lion’s Land.

Villagers were so afraid that they tiptoed to the watering holes. Roosters refused to call the sun. Even elephants dared not blow their trunks.

However, living in the village is a little girl named Nani who is gifted at drumming. She can imitate all the local animals by making sounds on her drum. And when she drums, the people can’t help but dance.

And then they remember the lion and tell her to be quiet.

So that’s the set-up. She tries three different locations, making people and animals dance. The sound of the drum will be one kids can’t resist making along with Nani.

But finally, the lion hears, and the lion comes. (And there are sound effects for that, of course.)

At first, Nani runs with the others.

But then she uses her drum to make the lion dance.

And it all winds up with a tired lion and a joyful village dance party.

It’s accompanied by wonderful and colorful illustrations, and the whole thing has a folk tale feel. As with most picture books I review, you really do need to check this one out yourself and try it on a child to appreciate how lovely it is.

aliciadwilliams.com

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Review of Neville’s Great Escape, by Sean E. Avery

Animal Characters, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Neville’s Great Escape

by Sean E. Avery

Walker Books, 2026. 32 pages.
Review written February 20, 2026, from a library book.
Starred Review

Neville’s Great Escape is a follow-up to Frank’s Red Hat, which is about a penguin who is different than other penguins because he starts wearing a red hat.

I think the main reason I never reviewed Frank’s Red Hat when it came out was that the image on the page that showed what happened when Neville tried the red hat was simply too terrifying. I couldn’t laugh my way past it. Poor Neville!

Well, that image from Frank’s Red Hat is exactly the image on the cover of Neville’s Great Escape – a giant killer whale looming over Neville, about to swallow him whole.

Hooray! Neville escapes! It’s right in the title! Now I can feel free to love both books.

So – this picture book is the story of how the penguin Neville escapes from the inside of a whale’s mouth.

His method is implausible and silly, involving lots of inexplicable furniture – but it’s also a lot of fun. Neville lives!

And he’s not eaten yet.

seaneavery.com

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Review of Seven Little Ducklings, by Annette LeBlanc Cate

Animal Characters, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Seven Little Ducklings

by Annette LeBlanc Cate

Candlewick Press, 2025. 40 pages.
Review written January 15, 2026, from a copy sent to me by the publisher.
Starred Review
2026 Mathical Book Prize Winner, PreK

When I first read this book, I didn’t fully appreciate it. But after discussing it with the Mathical Book Prize committee today and wholeheartedly selecting it as our winner, I want to post a review. (I’ll wait to post this until after the announcement is made.)

With the title and the opening, I thought it was, ho-hum, a counting book – something that’s already been done quite well in various other books. And sure enough, as the book opens, seven ducklings hatch while their mother is sleeping. And they step out into the wild.

This mother isn’t one to blithely go on her way while losing ducklings! She sets out looking for them.

And I almost didn’t notice the twist. At first, things are predictable. She finds the first duckling and they go on swimming together, then the second. But then we get this spread with four pictures:

From the jaws of a fox
she saves child number three.

The fourth duck is stuck
in the roots of a tree.

Three more small babies
are pulled from the ooze.

She plucks one from a dive,
then counts them, confused.

Because Mother Duck now has more babies than she started with!

This is when an astute reader notices the pictures – that some of the ducks are colored differently than the originals, and some of the babies aren’t ducks at all.

And she keeps collecting more babies in humorous ways – and eventually decides that all thirteen belong safe in her nest under her wings.

So, yes, it’s a counting book. But the story is so much more, and kids will love figuring out which are the new babies in the family. This stands up to repeated readings, with new things to spot each time. Besides counting, the pre-math skills of comparing and sorting are included – and kids get to be smarter than Mama Duck.

candlewick.com

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Review of The Littlest Drop, by Sascha Alper, illustrations by Jerry Pinkney & Brian Pinkney

Animal Characters, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

The Littlest Drop

by Sascha Alper
illustrations by Jerry Pinkney and Brian Pinkney

Anne Schwartz Books, 2025. 40 pages.
Review written November 18, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review

This picture book retells a folk tale the author originally heard from the environmentalist Wangari Maathai. Brian Pinkney tells us that his father had left behind sketches that were almost complete, but he hadn’t started painting yet. Brian lovingly completed them with a result that’s a beautiful combination of both of their styles.

The story is of a hummingbird who lives in “a vast, beautiful land that was a home to all of the animals.” After she builds her nest, a spark starts a fire not far away.

All the animals flee to the river and huddle frightened by its side. But the hummingbird wants to do something.

And so the hummingbird flew to the river and filled her tiny beak with just the littlest drop of water, for that was all that it would hold.

When the other animals tell her she’s too small to put out the fire, she answers, “I am doing what I can.”

And that prompts the elephant to do what she can. And soon all the animals are working to put out the terrible fire. And the last drop that puts out the fire comes from the hummingbird.

It’s a lovely tale about each of us doing our bit. Who knows? You may inspire others to all work together to help everyone.

justjerrypinkney.com
brianpinkney.net
rhcbooks.com

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Review of The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest, by Aubrey Hartman

Animal Characters, Children's Fiction Review, Fantasy, Starred Review 0

The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest

by Aubrey Hartman
read by Marisa Calin

Hachette Audio, 2025. 6 hours, 28 minutes.
Review written September 19, 2025, from a library eaudiobook.
Starred Review

I was not prepared for how charmed I would be by this story of an undead fox. But yes, this book has all the cozy delight of an old-fashioned animal story with a motherly narrator – this one perfectly voiced by Marisa Calin, who has a British accent. Never mind that the main character, Clare, a fox with a lavender tail – isn’t quite dead but also isn’t alive.

Yes, Clare had been killed when run over by a car. But before he found his way to one of the four realms of the Afterlife (Pleasure, Progress, Peace, or Pain), he was offered a chance to train as the next Usher of Deadwood Forest. Since that happened six years ago, Clare has helped wandering souls find their way to the realm where they belong. He is kind and helpful to all souls – though he has a strong prejudice against badgers.

And then the soul of a wandering badger comes to his door – and she fails to make her way to any of the four realms. Her name is Gingersnipes, and she keeps on turning up at his door. Clare is afraid it has something to do with the premonition about him announced by Hersterfowl, a visionary grouse who lives in the neighboring wood. He goes to see her and doesn’t like what he hears, and decides that he will figure out a way to change his fate – which is all going to come to a crisis on All Hallow’s Eve, when all the realms are open, and he usually huddles in his cabin.

But all along the interaction between Clare and Gingersnipes is simply delightful as we learn about their pasts, how they died, and the things they still care about. Clare has a deep fear that, as the local children like to sing, he is a monster. But we come to agree with Gingersnipes that he is a truly good soul.

I’m not sure I can really communicate how much fun this book is. Who knew that an undead fox who raises mushrooms with great care and is kind to every soul who comes to him would make such a lovable character?

aubreyhartman.com

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Review of Orris and Timble: Lost and Found, by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Carmen Mok

Animal Characters, Beginning Chapter Books, Children's Fiction Review, Starred Review 0

Orris and Timble

Lost and Found

by Kate DiCamillo
illustrated by Carmen Mok

Candlewick Press, 2025. 76 pages.
Review written June 5, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review

Here’s a second beginning chapter book about an old rat named Orris and a young owl named Timble, who are, surprisingly, friends. Like the first, it’s a sweet and gentle story.

Orris has gotten accustomed to visits from Timble every evening when they talk with each other and enjoy each other’s company. Orris tells a story every night, and Timble loves a line from a story:

“By the light of the stars, by the light of the moon, I will always return.”

But then, one night as the evening gets dark, Timble doesn’t come. And not the next night either.

Now, the subtitle of the book hints at what happened. But this precipitates a crisis for both friends, and ultimately they come to realize how much their friendship means to each of them.

And it’s all done with Carmen Mok’s gentle illustrations and leaves you feeling warm and cozy. Or perhaps adventurous and ready to fly away – but always to come back.

katedicamillo.com
candlewick.com

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Review of My Presentation Today Is About the Anaconda, by Bibi Dumon Tak

Animal Characters, Beginning Chapter Books, Children's Fiction Review, Science, Starred Review 0

My Presentation Today Is About the Anaconda

by Bibi Dumon Tak
illustrated by Annemarie Van Haeringen
translated by Nancy Forest-Flier

Levine Querido, 2025. First published in the Netherlands in 2022. 223 pages.
Review written April 29, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review

This book: Packed with information, and ever so much fun! Also the kind of book that I ordered for the library with a note: “Show to Sondy” so I could figure out if it’s nonfiction or fiction. The answer ended up being Fiction, since it’s full of talking animals. But those animals are telling you Facts! I also immediately placed the book on hold so I could read the whole thing.

Here’s how the book begins:

To Start Off…

These are oral presentations given by animals about other animals. That’s because oral presentations can really be fun, especially when they’re not being given by the human species for once. After all, humans can make presentations super boring.

Why?
Because humans only look at things through their own human eyes.
Every single time.

Human after human.
Kid after kid.
Class after class.

YAWN!

So it’s time to take a fresh look:
Animal after animal.
Here we go!

So what follows is a bunch of animals talking about other animals: A cleaner fish talks about the shark. A blackbird talks about the rose-ringed parakeet. A midwife toad talks about the koala. A zebra tells us about all the pure black-and-white animals. A death’s head hawkmoth talks about the squirrel monkey.

Altogether, twenty animals give presentations about other animals. And the reports are quirky, each from the perspective of the particular animal giving it, sometimes telling more about that animal than about the subject of the report.

After most presentations, there’s time for questions from the animals listening, and those are quirky and interesting, too.

Perfect for kids ready for chapter books, this is all very silly, but packed with facts at the same time.

I usually only find out about translated books after they win Batchelder Award Honor. This time, I’ve got an early favorite for this year’s winner. Find out a bunch of facts about animals and do some laughing, too.

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Review of Sunny the Shark, by Remy Lai

Animal Characters, Beginning Chapter Books, Children's Fiction Review, Graphic Novel 0

Surviving the Wild

Sunny the Shark

by Remy Lai

Henry Holt and Company, 2022. 108 pages.
Review written January 11, 2023, from a library book

Surviving the Wild is a graphic novel series about endangered animals based on actual things that have happened to animals in the wild. The star of this book, Sunny, is an oceanic whitetip shark who gets a plastic balloon tie wrapped around her in a way she can’t get it off. As she grows, it cuts into her body and even slips over her dorsal fin so she can’t swim properly.

Sunny is accompanied by pilot fish that clean her body and her teeth. But when Sunny stops feeding, so do the pilot fish.

This sweet and short story puts a face on an abstract problem of too much plastic in the ocean and helps kids understand the danger it poses to wildlife. The graphic novel format makes it all the more accessible to young beginning readers.

remylai.com
mackids.com

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Review of Towed By Toad, by Jashar Awan

Animal Characters, Picture Book Review, Starred Review 0

Towed By Toad

by Jashar Awan

Tundra, 2024. 48 pages.
Review written March 6, 2025, from a library book.
Starred Review
2025 Geisel Honor Book

The Geisel Awards are given to the most distinguished books for beginning readers, and they usually go to books in the beginning reader format. I’m so happy that this picture book won the award, because it only took one reading for it to become a favorite for me. And this picture book is both a good read-aloud and a good book for supporting new readers – the kind of book that will get read frequently and next thing you know, the child can read it themselves.

This was one of those picture books I had to show to my colleagues – except I found that I didn’t want to just show it to them – no, I was compelled to read it to them. Just a delightful book.

The look of the book is big, bright cartoon-type pictures on a white background, with about one to three short sentences per spread. And the action begins before the title page. We’re inside a house and see a toad calling from a doorway: “Breakfast!”

On the next spread, we see a smaller toad running out the door saying:

No time, Pop!
Can’t stop!

And then the title page shows the smaller toad driving out of a garage in an orange tow truck.

The beginning reminds me a little of Richard Scarry (though not nearly so busy):

Big cars. Little cars.
Old cars. New cars.
Everyone has places to be!

We then see various creatures headed various places.

No matter who you are
or where you are going. . .
. . . everyone needs help sometimes.

That’s where Toad comes in.

We see Toad towing and helping his first customer. Then these happen:

Catie Cat has a flat.
Davey Dog hit a log.

Mayor Hop forgot to stop.
Stanley Snout’s engine fell out.

And yes, the pictures that go with these are as fun as you might imagine.

And Toad helps them all.

But then, after a good day’s work, Toad’s own truck begins to make strange noises and breaks down. Toad doesn’t want to ask for help.

But when he finally does, we learn what that other big truck in the home garage is for.

And we’re left with a wonderful message:

Everyone needs help sometimes.

Even the helpers.

This book has it all – simple, bright pictures, easy-to-understand language, lots of cars and trucks, plenty of kid-sized drama, and a wonderful message to top it off.

One of those books that make me wish I were still doing story times.

jasharawan.com
penguinrandomhouse.ca

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