A picture book about the gifts of imperfection that casts a sweet and satisfying spell.
A young witch finds perfection in letting go of expectations and enjoying the moment.
Leila is extraordinary and excels at all sorts of witchy endeavors. She’s the fastest flyer, most cunning conjurer, and craftiest carver in her coven. Her bedroom teems with trophies, but her big dream is to win The Magnificent Witchy Cake-Off. Baking is a family legacy, and Leila has high hopes for success. Contrary to her previous ventures, mastering the “Dark Arts of Patisserie” is a skill that evades Leila. Worried that she’ll disappoint her family, she forgoes fun times with her sisters and instead focuses on making the perfect pastry. After her attempts fail, she accepts help from her sisters and enjoys the time they spend together. The competition tests Leila, and although the outcome isn’t what she hoped for, she realizes that sharing the experience with her family and having their support are even more important wins. Loaded with visual humor and quirky details, this whimsical tale charms and delights. Leila, her frog friends, and her family are comically illustrated with quarter-moon eyes and expressive faces. Eagle-eyed readers will spot Gustavo, the shy ghost protagonist from Drago’s previous picture book, and cultural images associated with Mexico’s Day of the Dead holiday, like La Catrina, calaveras, and pumpkins carved with papel picado–like designs. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A picture book about the gifts of imperfection that casts a sweet and satisfying spell. (Picture book. 4-9)Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2050-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
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
All-in-good-fun Halloween scares.
In NSYNC singer Bass’ debut picture book, trick-or-treaters follow their fearless leader down Scary Street in search of sweets, or so they think.
On Halloween night, a mischievous child dressed as a wolf, reminiscent of Max from Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are (1963), leads a large, racially diverse group of costumed children down Scary Street. The youngster, who narrates, proceeds to bring them to a series of creepy fun house–style homes, including a mansion belonging to a menacingly dapper vampire, who offers “toothy snacks” to the terrified-looking trick-or-treaters, and a gingerbread cottage inhabited by a Cruella de Vil–esque witch, who might prefer to bake little children into her house rather than give them treats. Uh-oh. Now there are only four children following the increasingly unreliable narrator, who ominously repeats, “No tricks allowed, just tasty treats.” As it turns out, the narrator does have a trick in store, which completes the scare and brings the story to a happy conclusion. Bass uses a simple, sometimes uneven rhyme pattern that ranges from interesting combinations (missed is rhymed with resist) to more familiar ones (treats/sweets) with a dash of tongue-in-cheek humor. Garrigue’s atmospheric illustrations have a Coney Island sideshow vibe, created with a candy palette that’s both invitingly tasty and garish in just the right way. The narrator, the vampire, and the witch are light-skinned.
All-in-good-fun Halloween scares. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 23, 2024
ISBN: 9781454952176
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
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