Reassuring and endearing.
“Witch” for something; you may get it.
The Witchling’s cozy mountaintop house contains the usual witchy accoutrements—bats, a cauldron, a book of spells. But these don’t compensate for what she really wants—a friend. The Witchling finds a recipe for conjuring one but notices she’s lacking one ingredient: fur from a one-eyed teddy bear. In her mind’s eye, the Witchling envisions a fearsome creature, but she musters courage and whooshes off on her broom to locate it—and lands in the bed of a little girl, the animal’s owner. After the Witchling warns her to beware of bears, the girl explains her dearly loved (stuffed) pal is harmless and will gladly donate his last hair to the cause. The Witchling demurs, recognizing the unbreakable bond between girl and cherished toy while joyfully realizing that, through kindness, she’s found true friendship, too. Friendship stories aren’t new, but this sweet British import, told in lively verses that scan well, will find a receptive audience. Children will enjoy poring over details of the Witchling’s cozy home and appreciate the easy camaraderie the protagonists quickly develop. The charming illustrations, rendered in watercolor, pencil, printed-pattern collage, and Photoshop, feature a light-skinned witch sporting an oversize green, star-bedecked hat; her new friend is brown-skinned. Type that often meanders playfully on pages and employs large capitals for dramatic effect enhances the child appeal. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Reassuring and endearing. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 5, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0906-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2022
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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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