“Sniffle snuffle snork!” Giggle!
The medieval village of Handkerchief has a loud and drippy problem.
The constant sound of sneezing, coughing, and sniffling from Castle Gesundheit is keeping the villagers awake. No one can sleep; everyone has dark circles. They’ve tried everything: pillows over their ears, ears plugged with fingers, even books over their ears. Most Handkerchiefians are scared to approach the castle, but little Fiona’s had enough. No one will lower the drawbridge for her, so she needs to get creative (nothing works until she finds a cat door to wriggle through). Inside, she finds plenty of cats, but, following the sound of the ahhh-choos, only one human. Baron Von Sneeze has no one to take care of him—everyone’s left because of the noise. Fiona asks if he eats well and keeps warm and tries to get enough sleep…yes, yes, yes. She asks if he has seen a doctor. He’s seen the best (and a witch and a wizard!). Based on her investigation and the feline population, Fiona draws the obvious conclusion. But the cats can’t go! The Von Sneezes have kept cats for generations…so Fiona comes up with an innovative plan that works for everyone. Fearing’s silly, sniffling tale might have a simple throughline, but the comical cartoon illustrations of the stouthearted girl and bewigged baron layer the laughs in the details—many of which are just cats being cats. Both Fiona and the baron present White; among the citizenry of Handkerchief are a few people of color.
“Sniffle snuffle snork!” Giggle! (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Nov. 2, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-1412-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among
Pete, the cat who couldn’t care less, celebrates Christmas with his inimitable lassitude.
If it weren’t part of the title and repeated on every other page, readers unfamiliar with Pete’s shtick might have a hard time arriving at “groovy” to describe his Christmas celebration, as the expressionless cat displays not a hint of groove in Dean’s now-trademark illustrations. Nor does Pete have a great sense of scansion: “On the first day of Christmas, / Pete gave to me… / A road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” The cat is shown at the wheel of a yellow microbus strung with garland and lights and with a star-topped tree tied to its roof. On the second day of Christmas Pete gives “me” (here depicted as a gray squirrel who gets on the bus) “2 fuzzy gloves, and a road trip to the sea. / GROOVY!” On the third day, he gives “me” (now a white cat who joins Pete and the squirrel) “3 yummy cupcakes,” etc. The “me” mentioned in the lyrics changes from day to day and gift to gift, with “4 far-out surfboards” (a frog), “5 onion rings” (crocodile), and “6 skateboards rolling” (a yellow bird that shares its skateboards with the white cat, the squirrel, the frog, and the crocodile while Pete drives on). Gifts and animals pile on until the microbus finally arrives at the seaside and readers are told yet again that it’s all “GROOVY!”
Pete’s fans might find it groovy; anyone else has plenty of other “12 Days of Christmas” variants to choose among . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-06-267527-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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