Picopaco

Picopaco is completely adorable. A soft and inviting world that will delight children in its secret details. -- Briony May Smith * author of Margaret's Unicorn *
Picopaco is an outcast among woodpeckers because she builds a house rather than making a hole in a tree. But when a storm hits and nests are ruined, the other woodpeckers realise that Picopaco might not deserve the scorn she once got. -- Charlotte Eyre * The Bookseller Children's Previews: April 2025 *
Picopaco is a bit different from the other woodpeckers, building her own little birdhouse out of wood instead of merely drilling a hole in a tree. She'd love to share some of the toys she carves and objects she collects with a pal, but the sights and sounds of the woodpecker town are too overwhelming, and she tends to flee the chaos before she can make a friend. When a storm sweeps through the forest, breaking branches and even downing entire trees, her carpentry skills are desperately needed, but it's her social skill that are truly tested, as she learns to set her boundaries without pushing potential friends out and to ask for help when she's feeling overwhelmed. The straightforward text has a buoyant simplicity and a measured pace that make it absolute storytime gold, and the book tenderly respects Picopaco's need for space and things to be "just so" while also conceding that accepting help sometimes means accepting other ways of doing things. Candy-colored hues and watercolor-like textures keep the illustrations similarly light and breezy, and scenes are often slightly off-center and tilted, creating a sense of being among a forest treetop and within a cluster of branches. Mocculere's bird world is a true treasure, populated with itty-bitty hummingbirds, svelte swallows, and sturdy, helpful owls, and small visual details surely invite a second look (a birdhouse turned café with coffee and croissants, slugs sliming up rocks as building materials, and a firefly serving as a flashlight, to name just a few). Aspiring birders, budding builders, or kids who just need to be reassured they have a right to their feelings will find this to be a gem of a book * Bulletin Center for Children's Books - Recommended Review *