A pleasant tale with realistic and lovable characters successfully delivers subtle lessons couched in warmth and playfulness.
Everyone needs a little help from their friends.
Charlie, Lulu, and Oliver (bunny, owl, and elephant, respectively) are young toddlerlike animals who love to play together. This third book of the series—with Oliver’s Tree (2014) and Lulu’s Party (2015)—finds the friends out fishing on the river. Poor Charlie is trying his best for a catch like the ones his friends effortlessly achieve but is only managing to land sticks. Glum at first, he is eventually inspired to switch gears and build a little boat out of some of his sticks. His friends follow suit, but unfortunately, in the race that follows, Charlie’s boat comes in last, and he feels unsuccessful again. Is there any way he can cheer up? “I have a grand idea,” offers Oliver. Minimal, simple text, just right for young readers and listeners, straightforwardly relates the story, while Chase’s soft and appealing watercolor-and-ink illustrations, charming and succinct, capture the joys and frustrations of childhood with gentle humor and precision. Children will be drawn in by the bonhomie of the tale and the support and playfulness of the friends as values of creativity, resilience, patience, helpfulness, and compassion are emphasized without a trace of didacticism.
A pleasant tale with realistic and lovable characters successfully delivers subtle lessons couched in warmth and playfulness. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 16, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-25702-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Feb. 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school...
The familiar theme of the challenges facing a new kid in town is given an original treatment by photographer Border in this book of photos of three-dimensional objects in a simple modeled landscape.
Peanut Butter is represented by a slice of white bread spread with the popular condiment. The other characters in the story—a hamburger with a pair of hot dogs in tow, a bowl of alphabet soup, a meatball jumping a rope of spaghetti, a carton of French fries and a pink cupcake—are represented by skillfully crafted models of these foods, anthropomorphized using simple wire construction. Rejected by each character in turn in his search for playmates, Peanut Butter discovers in the end that Jelly is his true match (not Cupcake, as the title suggests), perhaps because she is the only one who looks like him, being a slice of white bread spread with jelly. The friendly foods end up happily playing soccer together. Some parents may have trouble with the unabashedly happy depiction of carbs and American junk food (no carrots or celery sticks in this landscape), and others may find themselves troubled by the implication that friendship across difference is impossible.
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school experiences. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 29, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-16773-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
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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