Awkward writing takes a toll on a clever and sensitively handled premise.
A boy with autism visits the dentist while his imaginary counterpart battles monsters that cause tooth decay in a picture book about good dental hygiene.
In the latest entry in the Amazingly Awesome Amani series, Amani stays up eating snacks in bed, and his mother scolds him and says he’ll ruin his teeth. She warns, “Make sure you brush your teeth….You don’t want the molar monsters to get you.” That night, Amani dreams that shadowy molar monsters, led by one wearing a crown, have come to take over his teeth. He wakes up just in time, fiercely brushing his teeth with his mother’s help before his dental appointment. At the dentist, Amani and his sister, Sandy, meet Dr. Kersch, who understands that Amani needs some extra coaching after his mother explains he has autism. Dr. Kersch knows just what to do, showing Amani all her tools and letting him look into his mother’s mouth before it’s his turn. Back at home, Amani imagines himself as the superpowered Awesome Amani; even with his powers, the molar monsters are almost too much, until Super Sandy appears to save the day with mouthwash. The New York–based co-authors do an excellent job of casting Amani as a hero who learns about keeping his teeth clean in order to defeat monsters; although others help him, he handles his fears independently, becoming a hero on his own. Dr. Kersch’s patient approach, focusing on clarity, setting expectations, and navigating Amani’s sensory sensitivities may comfort children afraid of visiting the dentist for the first time. As depicted in cartoonlike illustrations by iNDOS Studio, Amani’s family members all have the same brown skin tone but different shades of hair; Dr. Kersch is pale-skinned with dark blond hair. The writing is clunky, with tenses that shift back and forth from the present to the past, a device that may confuse independent readers. Those shifts weaken an otherwise strong message of what a visit to the dentist is like and the benefits of good tooth care.
Awkward writing takes a toll on a clever and sensitively handled premise.Pub Date: July 12, 2022
ISBN: 979-8-218-01930-3
Page Count: 72
Publisher: T.A.S.K. Media
Review Posted Online: Sept. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
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
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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