Absolutely charming—no subterfuge about that.
The Franklin brothers are on a mission, and it’s called Operation Lollipop—but while the two boys execute their plans to liberate a lollipop from a kitchen cupboard, it seems another member of the Franklin household is out to foil the plan.
Franklin Brothers Investigations—the other FBI—are working to recover a coveted lollipop after bedtime. They’ve drawn a map, planted booby traps, and selected rendezvous points to keep from being caught by their parents, who are just steps away from the prize. The two brothers use walkie-talkies and a tablet to keep in contact while one stays upstairs and the other executes the mission. At the final checkpoint, though, the secret agent realizes that he’s been double-crossed when Secret Agent Girl (aka their sister) and the family dog retrieve the candy instead. This adorable bedtime book can be read to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” and the meter and rhyme are perfect. The illustrations are full of action and easter egg–like details readers will enjoy finding night after night. Some of those cute details include the magnifying glasses on the secret agent’s pajama pants, the child’s drawing of the family that reveals the third sibling, and the sister secret agent’s own “lollipop plan” on her bedroom floor. The family appears to be mixed race, the father and children presenting with brown skin and dark brown hair, mom with white skin and light hair. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Absolutely charming—no subterfuge about that. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6921-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
Sure to assuage the fears of all astronauts bound for similar missions.
A genius way to ease kids into the new adventure that is kindergarten.
In an imaginative ruse that’s maintained through the whole book, a young astronaut prepares for his mission to Planet Kindergarten. On liftoff day (a space shuttle–themed calendar counts down the days; a stopwatch, the minutes), the small family boards their rocket ship (depicted in the illustrations as the family car), and “the boosters fire.” They orbit base camp while looking for a docking place. “I am assigned to my commander, capsule, and crewmates.” Though he’s afraid, he stands tall and is brave (not just once, either—the escape hatch beckons, but NASA’s saying gets him through: “FAILURE IS NOT AN OPTION”). Parents will certainly chuckle along with this one, but kindergarten teachers’ stomach muscles will ache: “[G]ravity works differently here. We have to try hard to stay in our seats. And our hands go up a lot.” Prigmore’s digital illustrations are the perfect complement to the tongue-in-cheek text. Bold colors, sharp lines and a retro-space style play up the theme. The intrepid explorer’s crewmates are a motley assortment of “aliens”—among them are a kid in a hoodie with the laces pulled so tight that only a nose and mouth are visible; a plump kid with a bluish cast to his skin; and a pinkish girl with a toothpick-thin neck and huge bug eyes.
Sure to assuage the fears of all astronauts bound for similar missions. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: May 20, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4521-1893-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
Powered by whimsy and nostalgia, a doggone adorable tale of superheroes transforming the world for the better.
Can flying puppies, fueled by people’s hugs, save the world from gloom?
Light-skinned Snarly McBummerpants is busy sending out Mopey Smokes (evil-looking dark brown clouds) from his volcano on the Island of Woe to create a sad state of affairs. But the caped puppies, each equipped with a rocket and hailing from “the outer reaches of NOT-FROM-HERE,” use their abilities to conquer the morose McBummerpants and bring happiness back to everyone’s lives. The meticulously detailed illustrations carry the story, dark colors turning to rainbow hues and frowns turning to smiles. From Big Brad to Tiny Brad, the smallest, most powerful puppy, who “[licks] a kiss right on the tip of Snarly McBummerpants’s nose,” these absolutely endearing pooches elicit a universal “AWWWWWWWWWW!” from all who encounter them. Joyce’s witty illustrations depict diverse children and adults who appear to hail from different decades. Two teenagers wear the bobby socks and saddle shoes of the 1940s and ’50s and sit atop a retro soda cooler. Other kids ride the skateboards of a later era. Laurel and Hardy, classic movie performers who may need introduction, are amusingly pictured as bullies turned florists (a little odd, since only Hardy bullied Laurel). Even McBummerpants seems reminiscent of an old-time movie villain. The text is less inventive than the pictures, but the message of good over evil is always timely.
Powered by whimsy and nostalgia, a doggone adorable tale of superheroes transforming the world for the better. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781665961332
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
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