Beautiful but shaky.
Exuberance can’t be tamed for long.
Baby Squirrel awakens each day full of vim and vigor. The little one loves greeting the other forest animals, eating, and leaping through the air—often to the other creatures’ chagrin. Baby Squirrel is undeterred by Bear’s “No no, Baby!” when they try to eat a mushroom and by the bird’s “No, no!” when Baby Squirrel hungrily eyes a nest full of eggs. When Baby Squirrel attempts to visit Owl’s tree-trunk home, an exhausted Owl yells, “No no, Baby! Go away!” Chastened, Baby Squirrel retreats to their hole and stays away the entire next day. When the animals seek out Baby Squirrel, they tell the little one how much they’ve been missed, and Baby Squirrel promises to see them in the morning. The day resumes, and so do all of Baby Squirrel’s joyful leaps. It’s a gentle story—one that’s greatly enhanced by the ballpoint pen and colored pencil illustrations—but perhaps one whose message may be too soft. While Owl hands Baby Squirrel a flower when they visit, there’s no apology, nor is there a discussion of respecting boundaries and personal spaces. It’s a shame because both are important lessons that need to be reinforced in young readers to help them learn and grow. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Beautiful but shaky. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 9780735269118
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 28, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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