by Dan Yaccarino & illustrated by Dan Yaccarino ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 1, 2001
A little boy and a young space alien continue their Galactic Space Exchange Program in this second entry in a series by Yaccarino, following First Day on a Strange Planet (2000). The story alternates between Blast Off Boy (the Earthling), now living with the Gleep family on planet Meep, and emerald-green Blorp, residing on Earth with Blast-Off boy’s family, the Smiths. Blorp the alien finds a baby hippo and Blast Off Boy acquires a huge green monster, with each character trying to get his uncooperative pet to behave. The super-sized pets cause some amusing antics and provide the set-ups for a few funny lines, with Yaccarino’s characteristic geometric illustrations providing a futuristic flair. The format of alternating settings is rather confusing, despite a graphic device of the appropriate planet at the beginning of each setting transition. Additional confusion is caused by three similar character names (Blorp, Blinky, and Blippy) and a total cast of 11 named characters to keep straight. While the story won’t send any young readers into orbit, it will appeal to those who adore aliens of any variety, and the third title in the series is already on the launch pad. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7868-0579-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Hyperion
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2001
Share your opinion of this book
More by Dan Yaccarino
BOOK REVIEW
by Dan Yaccarino ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
BOOK REVIEW
by Andrea Zimmerman ; illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
BOOK REVIEW
by Margie Palatini illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
by Christina Soontornvat ; illustrated by Barbara Szepesi Szucs ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 25, 2019
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.
Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.
The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
Share your opinion of this book
More by Christina Soontornvat
BOOK REVIEW
by Christina Soontornvat ; illustrated by Joanna Cacao
BOOK REVIEW
by Christina Soontornvat ; illustrated by Isabel Roxas
BOOK REVIEW
by Ada Hopper ; illustrated by Sam Ricks ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 5, 2016
First of a tasty if not immediately nourishing new series.
When Dr. Bunsen, Gabe, Laura, and Cesar's mad-scientist neighbor, tries out his growth machine on Gabe's plastic animal toys, there's an unexpected result—they come to life.
Second-grade whiz kids Gabriel Martinez, Laura Reyes, and Cesar Moreno meet their strange neighbor while fundraising for a science-club field trip. Known to their classmates as “the Data Set,” they each have individual passions: Gabe loves animals; Laura loves to tinker and invent; Cesar loves to read and eat. There’s room for all these activities in their well-equipped treehouse. Together, their fantastic adventures will be the stuff of four titles scheduled for 2016 and aimed directly at first- and second-graders already devouring books. This episode introduces the characters, sets up the problem (the cute but rapidly growing baby animals), and finds a solution (sneak them into the zoo) in 126 fast-paced pages written with plenty of dialogue and copiously illustrated with appealing drawings. With these Latino protagonists—Cesar has dark skin and curly hair, while Laura and Gabe have lighter skin and straight hair—and a STEM-infused plot, this would seem to have been made to order for today’s elementary school students. While the emphasis is far more on plot than STEM, the kid-friendly fantasy should captivate readers, who will certainly want to gobble up the next installment. (Tantalizingly, the opening pages are included.)
First of a tasty if not immediately nourishing new series. (Adventure. 5-8)Pub Date: April 5, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-5729-3
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
Share your opinion of this book
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Trouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.