Pretty but preachy.
Prince and knight return to take on an evil adversary.
This sequel to Prince & Knight (2018) picks up after the prince and knight’s wedding day and begins with a coronation (but, a little puzzlingly, the prince is never referred to as a king). The two men’s love “inspired everyone in sight,” but soon a “fog of darkness” descends upon the realm. Daylight disappears. The crops suffer blight. The prince gravely tells his husband, “We must face this threat tonight!” The pair consults with the kingdom’s “wise old sage,” who sends them to find the Shadow King, whose “soul is filled with rage.” After “trudging through the wilderness,” the prince and knight make it to the Shadow King’s fortress and best his army of monsters. Eventually, they reach the Shadow King and help repair the harm that resulted from his evil ways. With rich colors and cinematic sequences, Lewis’ animation-inflected art shines in this fantastical tale. Whereas in the first book knight rescued prince, the reverse happens here—a delightful counterpoint to heteronormative gender roles. Though excellent in its positive depiction of queer heroes, the book’s heavy-handed message is made worse by Haack’s awkward, rhyming text. Aside from the brown-skinned knight, the royal family presents White. Supporting characters add additional racial diversity. With the addition of the Shadow King and his squire, the story moves from tokenization toward a sense of queer community. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.3-by-19.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 56% of actual size.)
Pretty but preachy. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4998-1121-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little Bee Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A brisk if bland offering for series fans, but cleverer metafictive romps abound.
The titular cookie runs off the page at a bookstore storytime, pursued by young listeners and literary characters.
Following on 13 previous How To Catch… escapades, Wallace supplies sometimes-tortured doggerel and Elkerton, a set of helter-skelter cartoon scenes. Here the insouciant narrator scampers through aisles, avoiding a series of elaborate snares set by the racially diverse young storytime audience with help from some classic figures: “Alice and her mad-hat friends, / as a gift for my unbirthday, / helped guide me through the walls of shelves— / now I’m bound to find my way.” The literary helpers don’t look like their conventional or Disney counterparts in the illustrations, but all are clearly identified by at least a broad hint or visual cue, like the unnamed “wizard” who swoops in on a broom to knock over a tower labeled “Frogwarts.” Along with playing a bit fast and loose with details (“Perhaps the boy with the magic beans / saved me with his cow…”) the author discards his original’s lip-smacking climax to have the errant snack circling back at last to his book for a comfier sort of happily-ever-after.
A brisk if bland offering for series fans, but cleverer metafictive romps abound. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-0935-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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