A must for mermaid fans, sweet or sassy, and a great bedtime read.
This little mermaid is having none of that sweet stuff.
In this tale of metafiction, a scowling, green-haired, light-skinned mermaid takes umbrage at the titular bedtime guide. As she points out, “Sleep is for guppies.” The book-within-a-book begins with a good little mermaid readying herself for bed. The green-haired mermaid looks perturbed: “I’m not a good little mermaid. I am a predator.” And when the book notes that the good little mermaid brushes her teeth before bed, our protagonist is annoyed. “Who cares if my teeth are clean when they can tear through scales and crunch bones?” But she reconsiders so her teeth will “gleam like razor-sharp blades.” The wholesome instruction continues, but our mermaid continues to insist she’s a nightmare of the deep…until the yawns begin. The book-within-a-book ends with “sweet dreams, little mermaid,” to which the protagonist cheekily replies, “Sweet nightmares.” Sumner’s tale will have bedtime-reluctant guppies giggling. The pages of the saccharine-sweet bedtime guide are overlaid onto illustrations of the protagonist and her pufferfish and octopus friends. The artwork also shows that our hero’s not quite as naughty as she presents herself; when the good little mermaid gathers up a favorite toy, our protagonist imagines a giant goblin shark…but as she drifts off, we see her snuggled up with a downright adorable shark stuffie. Gregory’s dynamic, digitally created illustrations have a watercolor look and perfectly convey the humor in the text.
A must for mermaid fans, sweet or sassy, and a great bedtime read. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9780735267893
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
A wandering effort, happy but pointless.
The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.
Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.
A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn.
A young owl achieves his grand ambition.
Owl, an adorably earnest and gallant little owlet, dreams of being a knight. He imagines himself defeating dragons and winning favor far and wide through his brave exploits. When a record number of knights go missing, Owl applies to Knight School and is surprisingly accepted. He is much smaller than the other knights-in-training, struggles to wield weapons, and has “a habit of nodding off during the day.” Nevertheless, he graduates and is assigned to the Knight Night Watch. While patrolling the castle walls one night, a hungry dragon shows up and Owl must use his wits to avoid meeting a terrible end. The result is both humorous and heartwarming, offering an affirmation of courage and clear thinking no matter one’s size…and demonstrating the power of a midnight snack. The story never directly addresses the question of the missing knights, but it is hinted that they became the dragon’s fodder, leaving readers to question Owl’s decision to befriend the beast. Humor is supplied by the characters’ facial expressions and accented by the fact that Owl is the only animal in his order of big, burly human knights. Denise’s accomplished digital illustrations—many of which are full bleeds—often use a warm sepia palette that evokes a feeling of antiquity, and some spreads feature a pleasing play of chiaroscuro that creates suspense and drama.
A charming blend of whimsy and medieval heroism highlighting the triumph of brains over brawn. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-316-31062-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 15, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2022
© Copyright 2025 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.
