A cohesive chord that nevertheless rings hollow.
A talented bug wants to play music but is nervous about taking the stage solo.
To compete in the Soggy Bog Talent Show, Mac the millipede decides to join a band. He grabs his many instruments in his many, many hands and heads out. Mac joins in with each rehearsing group he finds, playing violin with a tiny, antennaed orchestra, blowing his trumpet with some alley cats, and crooning with a bird a cappella group, among others. Each group’s spokesanimal compliments his talents but dismisses the prospective musician. The birds even try to eat him! They scare Mac so much that he runs all the way onto the talent show stage—alone. Then all “his new friends” in the audience—the bands he’s recently met—call out for him to play a different instrument (and “Sorry for trying to eat you!” yells one bird). Mac breathes deeply, then starts playing every instrument at once, embracing his (reader-anticipated) calling to be “his very own ONE MAN BAND!” The text incorporates some playful elements, including some internal rhyme and sequential panels, although its simple story with predictable plot turns provides little beyond the first read-through. All the animal characters, even mammals, are bug-eyed, rendered in saturated colors and placed against detailed backgrounds that provide some visual fodder.
A cohesive chord that nevertheless rings hollow. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4549-3370-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: May 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2019
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
Visually appealing, but this is one celebration kids won’t be begging to attend.
Making mistakes is demoralizing; husband-and-wife team Brad and Kristi Montague have a solution: hold a Fail-a-Bration.
A Fail-a-Bration, the authors explain, is a party where participants consider past mistakes and learn from them together. Racially diverse kids, including one who uses a wheelchair, and several animals—a mouse, a bear, and a dinosaur—deal with minor but disheartening failures, from being cut from a sports team and spilling milk to ripping one’s pants while dancing to breaking a toy plane. Well, the dinosaur inadvertently frightens everyone, but most of the misfortunes are everyday occurrences. The suggestions for throwing a Fail-a-Bration are practical—send out invitations, decorate, and set up activities—but do most kids really want to attend a party where they discuss their mistakes? To say, “I failed at something today. Tomorrow, I’ll fail better”? One of the suggested party games is Terrible Charades, where players intentionally mislead guessers, which might be fun but will also be challenging for young children. The story’s didactic approach and purposeful verse are made more palatable by amusing illustrations done in a collage style, complete with real elements, such as cake icing, red-and-white bakery string, cookies, and cardboard. Overall, the premise falls a bit flat, but given many schools’ emphasis on social-emotional learning, educators may find the book useful.
Visually appealing, but this is one celebration kids won’t be begging to attend. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2024
ISBN: 9780593697146
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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