The pushy suitor gets the girl.
A bear falls in love at first sight.
Bear is large, soft-textured, and dark purple. He lives in a human house. He and his roommate, a hat-wearing male spider, eagerly anticipate the delivery of a teapot they’ve ordered. When it comes, Bear falls head over heels for the delivery person. “Bear had never met such a charming lady bear. His heart beat fast.” The infatuation is based entirely on her appearance and is unidirectional: Delivery-person Panda only says plainly, “Package for Bear. Please sign here….Please sign for your delivery.” The language around Bear’s crush is explicitly romantic; the unrequited longing makes his “heart hurt.” Grant’s illustrations use pastel colors, unobtrusive tertiary colors, soft edges, gentle compositions, and mildly nubbly finishes. All this visual tranquility covers an aggressive plot. Bear, too nervous to speak to Panda during that first delivery, orders teapot after teapot, hoping fruitlessly each time for the courage to speak, making Panda return repeatedly; wingman Spider then questions local animals about where to find Panda for Bear. It’s a model of romantic pursuit that, if enacted by real human adults, would be a little stalkery. Bear gets what he wants—Panda—and, no longer vulnerable, shifts to laughing behind her back at her beverage preference: “ ‘Panda doesn’t like tea!’ Bear chuckled. ‘I mean, really! Everyone loves a cup of tea.’ ” Next time, they have lemonade instead, which is the happy ending.
The pushy suitor gets the girl. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Nov. 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0424-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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
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