A just-scary-enough romp for the brave.
A Goblin Moon on Halloween night brings the goblins out to frolic.
As the moon rises, a costumed family—turbaned fortuneteller mom, cowboy dad, toddler bear, and pigtailed pirate (eye patch askew)—sets off trick-or-treating. The creepy shadows cast by the moon clearly have the little buccaneer on alert (the accompanying picture’s dark, but nothing’s too scary, and adults are close). “Better get home now / and snug up inside. / The goblins are coming— / we better go hide!” From beneath the protection of covers, the young pirate peers out to see the goblins frolicking. But when they disappear from sight, the protagonist starts seeing and hearing things inside the house, and readers will spy the adorable little green monsters as they hide from the searching flashlights of the adults. Emboldened, the kid tells the goblins to go back to their moon, but perhaps they need an incentive? A trail of Halloween candy leading away from the house just might do it. And perhaps they’ll offer something in return? Rogers’ gouache and digital illustrations are magical when depicting the night outside, with sinuous trees in deep blues and greens highlighted in the white light from a gently smiling moon. And while the premise of monsters in the house that are invisible to adults is a creepy notion, the goblins are delightfully fun and not at all scary.
A just-scary-enough romp for the brave. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 23, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-06-279229-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
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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