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POCKET FULL OF SADS

Name: POCKET FULL OF SADS
Author: Brad Davidson
ISBN: 978-0-593-56456-1

by Brad Davidson ; illustrated by Rachel Más Davidson ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 4, 2023

A lovely, age-appropriate introduction to the healing power of companionship and acceptance by a true friend.

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What do you do when you’re feeling sad and nothing makes it better?

Round, brown Bear has a heart that “feels heavy, like my pocket’s full of sads.” Bear compares it to a toy that breaks right away or to the feeling of watching their best friend sit with someone else. Bouncy, cheery Rabbit arrives to take their pal fishing and finds Bear downright glum. Refusing to believe Bear’s sadness is serious, Rabbit proceeds to blurt out solutions—think of something happy, exercise, find a hobby, and more—to no avail. Frustrated, Rabbit finally plops down next to Bear, and together they just sit. But the longer they sit, the better Bear feels, comforted by the presence of their friend. Both Bear and Rabbit learn that sometimes doing nothing together is the best thing of all. Gentle text captures the contrasting personalities of energetic Rabbit and more low-key Bear, expertly paired with rich, eye-catching illustrations set in warm browns, blues, and greens. As Bear and Rabbit sit together, the dark background around them slowly recedes and then disappears, a visual metaphor for Bear’s gradual transformation. Rabbit’s frustration is expertly depicted as well, with dramatic angles and bold colors. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A lovely, age-appropriate introduction to the healing power of companionship and acceptance by a true friend. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: April 4, 2023

ISBN: 978-0-593-56456-1

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Rodale Kids

Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ACTION & ADVENTURE FICTION | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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LOVE FROM THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 15, 2015

Safe to creep on by.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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edited by Eric Carle

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edited by Eric Carle

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by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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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)