Wilder than any rumpus, this recess isn’t just a break—it’s silliness incarnate!
The essence of a school-day recess is siphoned down into pure joyous chaos.
Before tapping into the kinetic energy of a classic “red light, green light” game, Smith begins with an acknowledgment that while school is “pretty fun,” once in a while “we need a break from all that fun, right?” As he introduces different school subjects, he somehow always finds a way to end his descriptions of gym, spelling, and even math with a cry of “RECESS!” During these interludes, he encourages young readers to shake their booties, quack like ducks, stomp their feet, bounce invisible balls, and do any number of other loud things—until the fun abruptly ends, and it’s back to more schoolwork. The triumphant finish invites readers to take part in all these activities at once in a riot of color and movement. This interactive explosion of a book bursts off the page, engulfing young listeners in its inescapable exuberance. The read-aloud potential is high, with the intrusive narrator providing hilariously disapproving commentary while also egging readers on. The characters are awash in bright hues and tones; Smith uses geometric shapes for many of the children’s facial features. If B.J. Novak’s The Book With No Pictures (2014) were smushed into Jon Scieszka and Smith’s The Stinky Cheese Man (1992), this might well be the result.
Wilder than any rumpus, this recess isn’t just a break—it’s silliness incarnate! (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 22, 2025
ISBN: 9781419776892
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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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