Kids will sympathize, parents will recognize, siblings will familiarize.
An effervescent how-to for the wrangling of fearsome, tantrum-prone beasties.
Beware the “world’s most fearsome creature” and learn how to recognize it on sight—in this case, a bipedal stegosaurus. Most often spotted in a sulk after a great wrong (in this case, an injured teddy bear), the Grumpasaurus is best avoided. The family house cat learns the hard way why this creature should be approached only with great caution, if at all. Anger unabated, the distraught dino continues its fearsome approach until at last its mother comes with repaired toy in hand, and the Grumpasaurus, now a happy, light-skinned boy, cuddles toy and cat in peace. The guide seems to have been written with siblings in mind, but all would do well to heed the warning of this book. Though the implication is that tantrums are solved solely by parental intervention (in this case, the immediate repair of the tattered teddy), there are still worthy takeaways, not least a chuckle or two. The tantrums depicted operate at a low ebb, and the cat is only mildly terrorized. Hemingway gives his “guide” a faintly retro look, placing his figures on faux-aged lined paper and labeling his diagrams with mid-20th-century flair. For all the clouds and gloom, this dino remains brightly rendered.
Kids will sympathize, parents will recognize, siblings will familiarize. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 7, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-544-54665-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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