Halloween might be scary; independence needn’t be.
A pumpkin gets plenty of excitement on Halloween.
Little Orange Pumpkin sits on the porch with her parents on Halloween night. They review three rules: Remember your manners when given candy; no eating any until getting their OK; stay close. While Little Pumpkin thinks she’s old enough to trick-or-treat alone, her parents believe otherwise. Frustrated and angry, she rolls off the porch, under which she sees a warm orange light. Curious, Little Pumpkin follows it to a hole leading to a wooden door. In front of her is a spooky house. A monster, reminiscent of Daddy, offers a tour. A series of exciting adventures ensue, in which she meets and proves her mettle by engaging with skeletons, goblins, ghosts, a witch (resembling Mommy), a gargoyle, a vampire, bats, and spiders. When Little Pumpkin returns home, her parents assure her that they’re not mad and still love her, even though she shouted. Little Pumpkin concedes that she wants them to observe the third rule: Stay close. This is an enjoyable tale with an uplifting message. Readers will appreciate the Halloween trappings, which form a backdrop for its real story: a child desiring independence, taking those first tentative steps toward it, and being assured of a warm welcome by loving parents. The colorful digital illustrations are animated and filled with non-frightening Halloween characters and symbols. Background humans are diverse.
Halloween might be scary; independence needn’t be. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9781728289595
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
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A predictable series entry, mitigated as usual by the protagonists’ perennially energetic positivity.
A holiday-centered spinoff from the duo behind the inspired The Day the Crayons Quit (2013).
With Green Crayon on vacation, how can the waxy ones pull off a colorful St. Patrick’s Day celebration with Duncan, their (unseen) owner? Through their signature combo of cooperation and unwavering enthusiasm, of course. Blue and Yellow collaborate on a field of shamrocks that blends—however spottily—into green. Nearly invisible White Crayon supplies an otherwise unclothed light-skinned leprechaun with undies, and Orange draws a pair of pants that match the wee creature’s iconic beard and hair. Pink applies colors to a vest, and Purple, a natty jacket and boots. Chunky Toddler Crayon contributes a “perfect” scribbly blue hat; Beige and Brown team up for the leprechaun’s harp. In arguably the best bit, Black exuberantly manifests a decidedly unvariegated rainbow, while Gold’s pot of coins is right on the money, hue-wise. Their ardor undimmed by the holiday’s missing customary color, everyone assembles to party. Though the repartee among the crayons isn’t as developed as in previous outings, the book hews close to Daywalt and Jeffers’ winning formula, and there’s still enough here to keep readers chuckling. And, in a droll “wait for it” moment nicely calibrated for storytime, Green returns from vacation, sunglasses and suitcase in hand: “Did I miss anything while I was gone?” (The cover illustrations do hint at some Green-inflected remediation.)
A predictable series entry, mitigated as usual by the protagonists’ perennially energetic positivity. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Jan. 2, 2024
ISBN: 9780593624333
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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