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THE MONSTER MAC AND CHEESE PARTY

Monster lovers and mac-and-cheese connoisseurs are sure to eat this one up.

Come to a mac-and-cheese party.

Readers are all invited…that is, if they are monsters. No humans are allowed at this celebration, hosted by a bright green, one-eyed, three-toothed fuzzy monster. All the guests bring their own special mac and cheese. Bat brings bat “mac ’n’ bugs.” The witch brings “glow-in-the-dark mac with snakes and furballs.” The zombie brings “mud mac with fingers.” Readers are asked what kind of mac and cheese they would bring—would their dishes be seasoned with stinky socks, unicorns, or hot dogs? Strategic page turns add suspense as kids are asked to ponder what the spider and the mummy have brought. After all the monsters have arrived, the doorbell rings. It’s two humans (one with purplish skin, one with yellow skin) who have brought their favorite mac and cheese—gasp!—from the box. Despite this faux pas, the monsters and humans happily share a mac-and-cheese meal and remind readers that trying new foods and making new friends are fun. The book’s goofy, childlike, digitally created images are set against bright contrasting backgrounds. Thick black lines and neon colors make for a zany tale, perfect for group read-alouds. Parr keeps the laughs coming fast and furious. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Monster lovers and mac-and-cheese connoisseurs are sure to eat this one up. (two recipes for mac and cheese) (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: June 27, 2023

ISBN: 9780316376426

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023

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CREEPY CRAYON!

From the Creepy Tales! series

Chilling in the best ways.

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  • New York Times Bestseller

When a young rabbit who’s struggling in school finds a helpful crayon, everything is suddenly perfect—until it isn’t.

Jasper is flunking everything except art and is desperate for help when he finds the crayon. “Purple. Pointy…perfect”—and alive. When Jasper watches TV instead of studying, he misspells every word on his spelling test, but the crayon seems to know the answers, and when he uses the crayon to write, he can spell them all. When he faces a math quiz after skipping his homework, the crayon aces it for him. Jasper is only a little creeped out until the crayon changes his art—the one area where Jasper excels—into something better. As guilt-ridden Jasper receives accolade after accolade for grades and work that aren’t his, the crayon becomes more and more possessive of Jasper’s attention and affection, and it is only when Jasper cannot take it anymore that he discovers just what he’s gotten himself into. Reynolds’ text might as well be a Rod Serling monologue for its perfectly paced foreboding and unsettling tension, both gentled by lightly ominous humor. Brown goes all in to match with a grayscale palette for everything but the purple crayon—a callback to black-and-white sci-fi thrillers as much as a visual cue for nascent horror readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Chilling in the best ways. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-5344-6588-6

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022

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WITCH & WOMBAT

A spellbinding tale that encourages readers to accept—and celebrate—what makes us different.

A bespectacled young witch longs for a cat but ends up with something unexpected.

Though Wilma is excited for her first feline pet, when she goes to the Beast Buddies Pet Shop there are no more cats; instead, she is offered a wombat. She begrudgingly takes the dumpy, snoozy chum but worries: “Everyone else brings cats to school. Cats have been friends to witches for centuries. What a cat-tastrophe!” Unfortunately, Wombat is afraid of heights, which makes mastering Broom-Flying Basics a challenge; can’t perch on the edge of a cauldron during Brewing Potions for Beginners; and doesn’t stay in the required spell boundary zone, causing a spell to go disastrously wrong. Wilma is so frustrated she wishes Wombat would disappear. And Wombat does just that—by burrowing deep into the ground. Sprinkled with wombat facts (Wilma’s remembering that wombat scat is cube-shaped helps her follow a trail of poop to find her pal), this is a winning testament to true friendship. Wilma sets aside her assumptions of what a witch’s companion should look like and realizes just how wonderful Wombat truly is. This is a not-so-spooky tale perfect for Halloween and beyond. Wilma has bluish-black hair and pale skin among a diverse class. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A spellbinding tale that encourages readers to accept—and celebrate—what makes us different. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: July 4, 2023

ISBN: 9780593569634

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023

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