A pleasant but not groundbreaking effort, with a cute, yellow elephant leading the charge.
An anthropomorphic elephant girl named Chloe Zoe attends an Easter egg hunt with her two best friends and learns a lesson about sharing.
Chloe Zoe narrates her springtime story in present tense, detailing her family’s preparations for a secular holiday celebration. At the annual Easter egg hunt in their neighborhood park, the Easter Bunny hides lots of eggs and candy, along with “one special, sparkling golden egg with a surprise inside.” Excitement ensues when Chloe Zoe joins her friends George the giraffe and Mary Margaret the crocodile at the egg hunt along with their families. Mary Margaret likes only pink-colored eggs, so George and Chloe Zoe spend their time searching for pink eggs for their friend. When Mary Margaret finds the golden egg, Chloe Zoe is initially upset, but her friend shares the prize of gold coins found in the egg, announcing, “Three coins for three best friends!” Cheery illustrations use a cartoon style with the suggestion of collage in the brightly hued clothing textures. The buoyant art features a cast of winsome animal characters dressed in human-style clothing and lots of patterns, flowers, and motion. The plot is simple enough for young preschoolers to follow, and the compact, square trim size adds to an overall cozy feeling. Additional stories in the Chloe Zoe series will explore other holidays and common experiences such as starting school.
A pleasant but not groundbreaking effort, with a cute, yellow elephant leading the charge. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8075-2460-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016
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
Lighthearted and un-scary enough for bedtime.
Talk show host Fallon and illustrator Deas follow up 5 More Sleeps ’Til Christmas (2020) with a story of a youngster preparing for Halloween.
“It’s FIVE more sleeps ’til Halloween, / that spooky time of year / where all the ghosts are wide awake / as nighttime’s drawing near.” A calendar page with a large numeral 5 curls before a bright orange pumpkin. An orange-haired, light-skinned moppet wearing an enormous pair of blue glasses is hunkered down in bed with Gary the dog, whose vibrant blue coloring matches the bedspread. Occasionally accompanied by a sibling, the young narrator counts down day by day, describing seasonal activities: picking out a costume, navigating a corn maze, watching scary movies, taking part in a parade, going on a hayride, and trick-or-treating. The rhyming verses are sometimes a bit rocky but always fun. The text is periodically punctuated by the word boo, which appears in large, cartoonlike lettering; that, along with the calendar countdown motif, adds a pleasant repetition. Though the child confides feelings of trepidation (“What if bats fly in my room? / I think I’ll close my window now”), descriptions of scary moments are always offset by brightly colored, exuberant artwork. Humor abounds: Gary looks both hilarious and sweet dressed in a ghost costume that matches the narrator’s. The final page neatly closes the circle as the child goes from anticipating the holiday to participating in it and back again.
Lighthearted and un-scary enough for bedtime. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781250857798
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
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