Arrr! Bring out the piratical storytimes! This catchy read-aloud demands to be sung at the top of your lungs.
A reimagining of a classic song that reflects the recent viral popularity of all things sea shanty.
What shall we do with a drunken sailor? More like “What do you do with a grumpy kraken?” One by one, an array of “scruffy,” “sickly,” “tearful,” “hungry” creatures present themselves to a ship full of kids. As they appear, their ailments are tended to by the young sailors. Unfortunately, each time a monster finds respite, it accidentally gives the kids’ ship an awful battering, until inevitably time and tide take their toll. Now one of the sailors is grumpy, and it’s the sea critters’ turn to make things right. Standard cryptids like sea serpents and kraken rub shoulders with the less common Capricorn, Aspidochelone, and Hydra. Meanwhile, the perfectly scanned rhymes are complemented by delicious words like bilious, slewing, and peevish. Don’t know the tune? Sheet music is provided at the end alongside a section offering more info on each mythic sea creature, adroitly named “Now, Here Be Our Monsters.” Featuring dramatic angles and plenty of action, Brundage’s energetic art perfectly portrays a diverse cast of kids and colorful capering creatures. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Arrr! Bring out the piratical storytimes! This catchy read-aloud demands to be sung at the top of your lungs. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-53411-149-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: April 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022
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
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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