A playful story that siblings will appreciate.
A brother spins fanciful tales on his younger sister’s birthday in this debut picture book.
Every year on her birthday, a boy tells his sister about a magical being. But he explains she will have to wait until her next birthday to meet this figure. For example, on her second birthday, he tells her she will greet “the wise old wizard in the tree” when she turns 3 years old. But on the girl’s third birthday, the boy asserts that the wizard “had to flee” and she won’t see him. This pattern repeats for several birthdays as the brother describes beings his sister will encounter, including an elf, a dragon, and a fairy. Ultimately, the boy says she won’t meet them after all. Though she is upset, he encourages her to be imaginative: “Enjoy each day that’s here. There’s so much magic we can make through every passing year.” The kids, who have light skin, are shown celebrating. Some youngsters may feel frustrated as the girl becomes distraught by her brother’s tales. Still, the message to enjoy each other’s company is relatable. Ballenger’s story offers lively, creative imagery. Aguilera’s whimsical illustrations are charming and fun. They feature the siblings as well as the brother’s scenarios in bright colors and textured details. Some include subtext. For example, the last page depicts the siblings as older people in front of a birthday cake surrounded by the brother’s magical figures.
A playful story that siblings will appreciate.Pub Date: Oct. 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-73572-809-4
Page Count: 28
Publisher: Warren Publishing, Inc.
Review Posted Online: Dec. 8, 2020
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property.
Since a reformed Grinch is hardly any fun, this follow-up Grinches him up once more.
Those seeking more of the same, prepare to receive precisely that. Christmas is coming (again!), and the Grinch can hardly wait. He’s been patient all year, and now he can finally show the Whos down in Who-ville how much he’s changed. When the Grinch learns of a tree-decorating contest, he figures that if he wins, it’ll prove he truly has the Christmas spirit. He throws himself into the task, but when it comes time to judge the trees, the Grinch is horrified to discover that he’s received only the second-place trophy. Can Cindy-Lou Who find the words to save the day? Replicating many of the original beats and wordplay of the original, this tale feels like less a sequel and more like a vaguely rewritten variation. Meanwhile, Ruiz’s art seeks to bridge the gap between the animated Chuck Jones version of the Grinch and the one depicted in the original book. This thankless task results in a strange uncanny valley between Seuss and Jones but does allow the artist a chance to colorize everything and lend some racial diversity to the Who population (Cindy-Lou is light-skinned). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780593563168
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
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BOOK REVIEW
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