Visually lively with an engaging story; here’s hoping the next installment exhibits greater diversity.
Following The Not-So Itty-Bitty Spiders (2015), twins Olive and Beatrix return for another adventure featuring magic and science in this illustrated early chapter book.
Olive (“an ordinary girl,” as she informs readers—Olive narrates the story) and her best friend, Eddie, love science, and they look forward to presenting their projects at the school’s annual science fair. But Beatrix, who is a witch, uses her magic powers to create projects that always win the blue ribbon. This year though, Olive has worked extra hard and is certain she will win. On the day of the fair, the twins carry their projects (“the exciting world of MOLD” and “cloud made with science”) to school early and jostle for the same display table—and both projects crash to the ground. Olive’s mold and Beatrix’s cloud combine to create an out-of-control slime that the twins and Eddie must use their combined resources to combat. The story has imaginative action and characters that model working together and respecting each other’s talents despite philosophical differences, but it lacks notably diverse characters. Just showing a few characters as grayish doesn’t make an impact. The book’s visual format is lively, combining spot illustrations with full-page and double-page spreads and dialogue bubbles.
Visually lively with an engaging story; here’s hoping the next installment exhibits greater diversity. (activities) (Fantasy. 6-8)Pub Date: March 29, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-81485-0
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A close encounter of the best kind.
Left behind when the space bus departs, a child discovers that the moon isn’t as lifeless as it looks.
While the rest of the space-suited class follows the teacher like ducklings, one laggard carrying crayons and a sketchbook sits down to draw our home planet floating overhead, falls asleep, and wakes to see the bus zooming off. The bright yellow bus, the gaggle of playful field-trippers, and even the dull gray boulders strewn over the equally dull gray lunar surface have a rounded solidity suggestive of Plasticine models in Hare’s wordless but cinematic scenes…as do the rubbery, one-eyed, dull gray creatures (think: those stress-busting dolls with ears that pop out when squeezed) that emerge from the regolith. The mutual shock lasts but a moment before the lunarians eagerly grab the proffered crayons to brighten the bland gray setting with silly designs. The creatures dive into the dust when the bus swoops back down but pop up to exchange goodbye waves with the errant child, who turns out to be an olive-skinned kid with a mop of brown hair last seen drawing one of their new friends with the one crayon—gray, of course—left in the box. Body language is expressive enough in this debut outing to make a verbal narrative superfluous.
A close encounter of the best kind. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4253-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
Cuándo quieras un perro feliz, look no further.
A young Latine boy finally gets to rescue the dog of his dreams, but training can be a challenge in two languages.
Like many children, José has been dreaming of having a pet of his own, specifically un perro, a dog. Like any good owner, José promptly begins training his new canine companion but soon realizes his rescue mutt, Feliz, knows only words in English. This is a problem because in José’s home everyone speaks both Spanish and English. José and Feliz must rise to the challenge; fortunately, treats and snuggles are great motivators. The narrative uses Spanish words and phrases throughout (“perros blancos,” “¡Yo quiero este!” “¡Sientate!”), usually with English context clues for understanding. This is complex vocabulary for an early reader, and the shifting in phonics from English to Spanish will be challenging for true beginners; the book is best suited for intermediate to advanced readers in dual-language classrooms or homes. Much like Feliz, however, it is sure to find a loving (and bilingual) home. Cheerful illustrations complement the text, helping readers make sense of the narrative. While José and his mother are darker-skinned, his father and sister are lighter-skinned. (This review has been updated for accuracy.)
Cuándo quieras un perro feliz, look no further. (glossary of Spanish-English words) (Early reader. 6-8)Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-52116-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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