Such a cute story! “Come Back Out, Mole!” Is a childrens book about a worrywart of a mole and how his friends convince him to not be so afraid! It’s a cute story of overcoming your fears and friendship. My favorite part of the book were the illustrations. I thought they were perfect and so bright and eye catching! Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for the chance to read this eARC early in exchange for my honest review.

This is such a cute book. I love how Mole gets frightened but his friends help him realize he's courageous. This is about the power of friendship. It also has fun things like flying butts that will make kids laugh. The illustrations are adorable too! Great book for kids!

SO CUTE!! Anxious Mole and friends encourage him to be brave and help him. Loved this cute story and thought it was lightheaded and kind.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC!

Come Back Out, Mole! by Alicia Acosta is a charming and heartfelt picture book that gently explores the themes of friendship, inclusion, and understanding. The story follows Mole, who retreats underground after feeling scared, and the friends who lovingly encourage him to come back out and rejoin their fun. Acosta’s writing is warm and empathetic, perfectly capturing the emotions children experience when they feel anxious or worried. The repetition in the text makes it engaging for young readers, while also providing a sense of comfort and predictability. The illustrations are bright, expressive, and full of movement—bringing Mole’s world and his friends’ kindness to life in a way that will captivate children’s imaginations. This book offers an excellent opportunity for parents, teachers, and caregivers to talk with children about emotions, empathy, and how to support friends who might be feeling sad or withdrawn. It’s a beautiful reminder that sometimes, all someone needs is a little patience and kindness to feel ready to “come back out.”

Come Back Out, Mole! (Somos8)
by Alicia Acosta
a cute book about over coming fears and friendship. After a fright, mole stays home. His friends have become concerned. Each tries to entice him out. They come up with a wonderful plan to help him realize that his concerns were unfounded.
Great book for social emotional learning. Bringing questions of fear, over reaction, and helping friends.

Absolutely adorable! The illustrations in Come Back Out, Mole! are the kind that make you slow down and linger on every page. The book is full of bright, joyful colors; expressive little faces; and tiny details that reward a second (and third) read. Even the bugs have personality, with eyebrows and grins.

Poor Mole gets spooked by a storm and burrows deep, and the story follows Squirrel, Bear, and a chorus of sweet woodland friends as they coax him back toward the rest of the world. It’s a simple premise delivered with warmth and heart, and it lands.

As an adult, I would read this to my nieces and nephews over and over again, happily. It’s cozy, comforting, and quietly empowering—the perfect stormy-day book that shows little readers how to breathe, peek out, and try again.

This is a very cute book about a group of friends that are helping their friend Mole after he is scared by a storm and refuses to leave his home. I really enjoyed this book up until the random potty humor (flying butts that are farting) out of nowhere. I feel the author could have used something else that fit the theme of the book a little better, allowing the book to be used in a classroom or library story time setting. While I do think the age group that the book is intended for will find it amusing, as a librarian and a parent, once the kids get started on a subject like that it's hard to reign them in. It is such a good book other than that. Because of the random illustrations of butts, I do not think it would be able to be used for story time or circle time in a classroom or library setting.

Come Back Out, Mole! is a sweet story about a mole who goes out for a walk and gets extremely scared when he gets caught in a thunderstorm he couldn't see coming. He's so scared by what happened, that he decides he's never coming out of his burrow ever again.

After several days, all of his friends are very worried about him. One by one, they suggest fun activities they can do together, only to have Mole declare that he was much safer in his burrow, and he came up with excuse after excuse to stay there.

His friends decided to come up with a plan that would ensure that Mole would emerge from his burrow. The plan worked, and what fun he had!
I can identify with Mole a lot, because when I was eight, lightning hit our house. Luckily, all it did was knock the power out, and break the doorbell. Many years later, when I was a freshman in college, I went out for a late dinner with a friend and got caught in a bad thunderstorm, just like Mole did. Fortunately, motorized wheelchairs have rubber tires to ground them, and they can also be driven really fast in emergency situations, so neither of us was hurt - We just came back to the dorm soaking wet.

The book's text shows a solid knowledge of, and sensitivity to the emotions of young children, and the illustrations are colorful and engaging (I especially like the one of the inside of Mole's burrow), and the story is full of life lessons about empathy, compassion, friendship, and teamwork.

It's a great story for families, schoolrooms, or story circles with young children to read and talk about together. What are the people in your family, class, or story time circle afraid of? What could make them feel better? If someone in your family, class, or story circle is no longer afraid, what helped them not to be afraid anymore?

Recommended for readers ages three to eight, Come Back Out, Mole! is a story that will be read over and over again.

I was given this copy of Come Back Out, Mole! as an Advanced Reader Copy, and I'm thankful to both the author and the publisher for granting me the opportunity to review the book prior to publication. The fact that this is an Advanced Reader Copy had no effect on this review, and all the thoughts and opinions expressed within it are my own.

Poor Mole became frightened by a storm and retreated to his burrow - will he EVER come back out? This is a sweet story that broaches subjects like anxiety to fear of the unknown, all told with a charmingly illustrated bunch of woodland friends. Great read for kids who may be facing worries about a new school, a sudden move, or similar big changes.

Yes! My daughter was a big fan of this one! It touched on friendship and anxiety, which is something that I think most 6 year olds can relate with. She loved the illustrations, and to be honest, so did I!

Delightful. Beautiful illustrations that fit the tone of the story. Friendship, anxiety, and a message all put together. I would add this book to a school library.