A lively, humorous narrative enhanced by charming illustrations.
A mysterious and terrible odor spoils a berry-picking troll’s peaceful day in the woods in Cetas’ picture book.
Young children who find the mention of stinky smells hilarious should get a giggle out of this tale of a troll named Oscar who’s mystified by a stench wafting through his forest. Before discovering the surprising source, Oscar follows his nose to a mushroom patch, a wolverine den, a trout pond, fresh moose dung, and more. The author successfully builds momentum and invites reader participation through an increasingly long list of odor-related adjectives: A “stinky smell” eventually becomes an “awful, horrible, rotten, putrid, terrible, nasty, stinky smell.” For added emphasis, select words are enlarged and italicized, and Oscar’s reactions (such as “ick!!!” and “yuck!!!!”) are hand-drawn in various colors at different angles. The silliness is skillfully crafted despite a few errors: barred instead of bared and “very sensitive smell” instead of “very sensitive sense of smell.” The text-enhancing quality of Kose’s whimsical, full-page watercolor illustrations gives the book an edge over similar titles. Comical Oscar, in two-button overalls, has a huge nose and goofy, toothy grin; the stench’s cartoony origin will satisfy the target audience, and a background palette of soft greens, blues, and browns provides contrast, sprinkled with details for readers to discover.
A lively, humorous narrative enhanced by charming illustrations.Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-956277-05-0
Page Count: 42
Publisher: Windy Sea Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance.
A boy with wings learns to be himself and inspires others like him to soar, too.
Norman, a “perfectly normal” boy, never dreamed he might grow wings. Afraid of what his parents might say, he hides his new wings under a big, stuffy coat. Although the coat hides his wings from the world, Norman no longer finds joy in bathtime, playing at the park, swimming, or birthday parties. With the gentle encouragement of his parents, who see his sadness, Norman finds the courage to come out of hiding and soar. Percival (The Magic Looking Glass, 2017, etc.) depicts Norman with light skin and dark hair. Black-and-white illustrations show his father with dark skin and hair and his mother as white. The contrast of black-and-white illustrations with splashes of bright color complements the story’s theme. While Norman tries to be “normal,” the world and people around him look black and gray, but his coat stands out in yellow. Birds pop from the page in pink, green, and blue, emphasizing the joy and beauty of flying free. The final spread, full of bright color and multiracial children in flight, sets the mood for Norman’s realization on the last page that there is “no such thing as perfectly normal,” but he can be “perfectly Norman.”
A heartwarming story about facing fears and acceptance. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-68119-785-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2018
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