A whimsical, enjoyable tale designed to encourage self-confidence.
Could there be a manatee on the moon?
“Anna Lee Manatee / lives in the sea. / Her body is slow, / but her spirit is free!” After gazing at the sky, she decides that there is someone who looks just like her, a manatee—a magical manatee queen who explores outer space, at that—on the moon. When her friend, the loon, disagrees, Anna creates a rocket ship from kelp to prove him wrong and do some exploration herself. Atmospheric, purple-toned illustrations depict Anna’s outer space adventure. After an exhilarating ride, she reaches the moon, but there is no manatee to be seen—except herself. Hmmm….She gets an idea to leave her mark. When Anna returns to her ocean home, her friend the loon studies the sky. Will he see a manatee on the moon now? It’s a safe bet! While the overall story, aimed at inspiring youngsters to try new things, seems a trifle forced and pedantic at times, the rhyming text is bright and charming, the characters are appealing and energetic, and the message is clear and accessible, perhaps best suited for a therapeutic context or for intentional social-emotional skill development. A note from clinical psychologist Julia Martin Burch explains that self-confidence comes about through exploration and mastering skills and challenges and offers ways for caregivers to foster such opportunities. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A whimsical, enjoyable tale designed to encourage self-confidence. (glossary) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-4338-4037-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Magination/American Psychological Association
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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