A whimsical twist on a classic fairy tale with plenty of twists, turns, and sass for early chapter readers.
In Horn’s series-starting children’s book, a mischievous girl living in Fairytale Land sets out on a quest to find her favorite breakfast cereal—and causes problems along the way.
From the author of the Eudora Space Kid early-reader chapter book series comes a lighthearted modern take on the old story of Goldilocks and the three bears, featuring a mishmash of other legendary characters who swoop in for occasional surprise guest appearances. This first entry of the Tairy Fails series is initially narrated by the leader of the secret spy organization Fairytale Land Official Security Zone (aka the Wizard of FLOSZ), but the storytelling is quickly taken over by Sylvia Locke, a fifth grader who lives with her grandparents after her parents’ mysterious disappearance; they’re rumored to have been on a quest for the Earrings of Power, “one of the most magical but cursed objects in all of Fairytale Land.” When Sylvia’s grandmother is too busy to get her favorite Cookie Crunchies cereal, the girl swings by her new neighbors’ house to see if they have any: “Some new family just moved in—a bunch of annoying bears.” Chaos quickly ensues when Sylvia discovers the Bear family is absent and she helps herself to all the familiar stuff from the famous tale. She also develops a love/hate relationship with the house’s Magic Mirror, which promises to tell her anything she wants in exchange for Cookie Crunchies. The information the mirror provides ultimately leads to a shocking discovery about Sylvia’s parents and expertly sets up the next book in the series.
From the moment Sylvia “interrupts” the narrator’s “Once upon a time” beginning, readers will realize that this isn’t an ordinary fairy tale—from its inclusion of the Big Bad Wolf of the forest, whom Sylvia derisively calls “doggy,” to the main character’s penchant for complete and utter destruction: “Fun! I’ve never even seen a magic mirror before today, and I just tossed one down a flight of stairs. You never know what the day will bring.” The character perfectly balances the stereotypical sarcasm and attitude of a girl on the cusp of teenagehood with the vulnerability of a child feeling lost without her mom and dad. Adults will most appreciate the nuance of Sylvia’s characterization, as well as some dated pop-culture references, but younger readers will likely be drawn to the abundance of absurd physical humor: “Let the Bears deal with the mess. Serves them right for leaving buckets of marshmallow sauce everywhere.” Although Sylvia can certainly act like an entitled brat at times, her kind heart eventually reveals itself, especially in her tentative new friendships with Magic Mirror and Baby Bear. Allusions to the fates of other fairy-tale characters, including Hansel and Gretel (now performing as an “amazing singing duo”), as well as the introduction of new characters, such as Earl the ninja bear, make for an entertaining romp through a land that feels familiar but is delightfully unique. Tondora’s playful cartoon illustrations add to the laughs.
Pub Date: April 30, 2024
ISBN: 9798988543022
Page Count: 98
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Feb. 14, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come.
Little Blue Truck and his pal Toad meet friends old and new on a springtime drive through the country.
This lift-the-flap, interactive entry in the popular Little Blue Truck series lacks the narrative strength and valuable life lessons of the original Little Blue Truck (2008) and its sequel, Little Blue Truck Leads the Way (2009). Both of those books, published for preschoolers rather than toddlers, featured rich storylines, dramatic, kinetic illustrations, and simple but valuable life lessons—the folly of taking oneself too seriously, the importance of friends, and the virtue of taking turns, for example. At about half the length and with half as much text as the aforementioned titles, this volume is a much quicker read. Less a story than a vernal celebration, the book depicts a bucolic drive through farmland and encounters with various animals and their young along the way. Beautifully rendered two-page tableaux teem with butterflies, blossoms, and vibrant pastel, springtime colors. Little Blue greets a sheep standing in the door of a barn: “Yoo-hoo, Sheep! / Beep-beep! / What’s new?” Folding back the durable, card-stock flap reveals the barn’s interior and an adorable set of twin lambs. Encounters with a duck and nine ducklings, a cow with a calf, a pig with 10 (!) piglets, a family of bunnies, and a chicken with a freshly hatched chick provide ample opportunity for counting and vocabulary work.
Uncomplicated fun that sets readers up for the earlier, more-complicated books to come. (Board book. 1-4)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-544-93809-0
Page Count: 16
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: March 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
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
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
