An enjoyable treat for the holiday. Don’t pass this one over.
Celebrating Passover, buccaneer style.
Capt. Drew and a racially diverse pirate crew are getting ready for Passover: swabbing the deck, polishing rails, raising sails, and getting rid of chametz—leavened foods—illustrated as those containing wheat plus other forbidden-during-Passover items such as what appear to be doughnuts, corn, and crackers. Drew explains that matzah will be eaten instead and prepares the seder plate with foods that serve a symbolic function at the festive dinner. All isn’t smooth sailing, however. A heavy storm arises as the crew sits down to eat. Heavy rain, high waves, lightning, and matzah balls rolling down the plank and sinking into the turbulent sea destroy any hope for a shipboard seder. When the ship washes ashore on a tropical isle, Captain Drew leads the crew to a house, where they’re welcomed to join the seder hosted by the family living there. All the traditional rituals are observed, and even Drew’s parrot, Bernie, participates. The evening ends pleasantly, with improved weather, and the pirates sail away on calm seas. This is a sweet, original take on the holiday, expressed in lilting rhymes that read and scan well. Children will enjoy the cheerful pirate theme, and Jewish youngsters who understand Passover rituals and traditions will appreciate the textual and depicted nods to recognizable customs. Illustrations are colorful and lively. Drew is light-skinned; the island family is tan-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An enjoyable treat for the holiday. Don’t pass this one over. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-72844-303-4
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
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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