Points for offering a broad picture even if the presentation is nothing to write home about.
Sesame Street characters gather together to celebrate select turn-of-the-year holidays.
Rather than describe specific practices or origins in his clumsily constructed rhyme, Manning hammers on the titular theme and on general feelings of love and togetherness all the way to an inevitable “there’s no place like home.” He leaves it up to the “grown-ups” addressed in closing crib notes to identify the eight holidays highlighted in turn in Kwiat’s set of cartoon feasts and frolics. Throughout, secular customs and symbols get far more play than religious contexts, and the entry for the Lunar New Year (following a description of the calendrical one) retains the parochial header “Chinese New Year.” However, the gloss for “Thanksgiving” does acknowledge similar celebrations in other parts of the world, and the inclusion of Eid al-Fitr, Kwanzaa, and Diwali alongside Christmas and Hanukkah in the roster likewise signal a generally multicultural outlook. Cameos from stars like Pino (Big Bird’s blue Dutch cousin), Lily the Chinese tiger cat, and hijab-clad Zari expand the already-diverse Sesame Street cast. Younger audiences may be less drawn in by the topic than the challenge of naming all the puppets that put in appearances here (there’s no key), but the festive tone is at least appropriate for the season.
Points for offering a broad picture even if the presentation is nothing to write home about. (Informational picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-4024-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
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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