A mediocre jump from song to picture book.
A lullaby about watching out for the ones you love.
An anthropomorphic full moon shines down on a White blond child in purple boots and a blue dress as they have adventures with their animal friends: a rabbit, a goose, and a little elephant. Their bicycle doesn’t need a headlight with the moon’s light, and they can see fine to row a boat out on the sea. (Though they sport helmets on the bike, there are no life jackets in sight.) The moon lets down a swing, and they ride it up to the pillowy clouds atop the moon. The final fantastical scene—“If I were the moon. / I’d fly you home / on outstretched wings”—shows the four friends riding atop a huge barn owl as it swoops them back home again. The last spread shows the reality: the child snuggled in bed with three stuffed animals, an owl taking off from a branch outside the bedroom window. While parents-to-be and those with very young children may feel comforted by the message in the song-turned–picture book, their children are not likely to get the message at all, especially since it is never clear who the I is referring to. They will be more drawn by the softly colored illustrations that seem lit from within by both the moon and the fireflies festooned throughout the pages. The joy on the characters’ faces is evident and infectious, though some of the verses are hard to read against the background. A website link allows readers to hear Terry’s song. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A mediocre jump from song to picture book. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 28, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-7643-6570-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Schiffer
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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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