It’s hard to go wrong with a story about Chelm.
A poor teacher and his wife worry that they won’t be able to afford to celebrate the Shavuot holiday with traditional blintzes and hatch a savings plan with good intentions but ridiculous results.
Gitele and Yankl are residents of Chelm, populated by the wisest fools. They take an old, dirty, wheeled trunk, cut a hole in the top, and vow to each throw in a coin every day, thus collecting enough to shop for and make blintzes. But left alone, each spouse relies on the other to do the saving, so when the trunk is opened at the end of two weeks, only the original two coins are inside. An argument ensues, and in the scuffle, the couple ends up in the trunk, which then closes and begins to roll down the hill. As it approaches the synagogue, Gitele and Yankl’s screams from within cause the townsfolk, comically depicted with wide necks and long noses, to fear that a dybbuk, or demon, is inside. The trunk is opened and the disoriented couple’s story prompts the rabbi to forbid a teacher living on a hill with a trunk on wheels from making blintzes. While no explanation of either the holiday or the reason for its customary meal is given, the absurdity of the story and its nonsensical conclusion will be appreciated by those familiar with these Eastern European noodlehead tales.
It’s hard to go wrong with a story about Chelm. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: April 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4677-7985-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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