A fun and festive Halloween story.
A crow takes readers on a tour of a monster-filled hotel in Mark Kibbe and Susan Kibbe's rhyming picture book.
On “Hallows of Eve,” a top hat– and bow tie–wearing crow named Old Carnie guides readers through the Monster Hotel, a decrepit old dwelling that may remind some readers of the Victorian home of TV's Addams family. Though the place is dark, filled with cobwebs and dust, and “smells like gym socks, it’s a coveted year-round destination for spooky guests, including monsters, trolls, mummies, and more. Although these creatures have a blast at the hotel, Old Carnie warns that human visitors should stay away, explaining that the Monster Hotel guests “have never seen children” before and would be frightened: “They would jump out of windows, and climb under chairs.” However, the crow muses that maybe, just maybe, on Halloween night: “If you dress like a monster and your costume is right, you can visit the Monster Hotel in disguise.” Children will enjoy following Old Carnie’s rhyming descriptions of the quirky happenings at an atmospheric place: “The doors are all broken; there are weeds for a lawn. The tree in the yard is all shriveled and black.” The spooky characters are more friendly than scary—even the skeletons smile—making the story suitable for young readers. Witherspoon's full-color illustrations offer cartoonish depictions of the Monster Hotel’s amusing scenes, such as the snoozing Vlad the vampire wearing an eye mask. The book also has goblins swimming in the hotel pool, trolls playing chess, and singing and dancing ghosts.
A fun and festive Halloween story.Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2020
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 27
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This frenetic ode to fatherhood is predictable fare but may please series fans.
It’s time to look for the elusive Daddysaurus.
In this latest installment in the seemingly never-ending series about a group of diverse kids attempting to trap mythical creatures, the youngsters are now on the lookout for a big mauve dinosaur with an emblazoned D on his stomach and a superhero cape. The fast-moving Daddysaurus is always on the go; he will be difficult to catch. Armed with blueprints of possible ideas, the kids decide which traps to set. As in previous works, ones of the sticky variety seem popular. They cover barbells with fly paper (Daddysaurus like to exercise) and spread glue on the handle of a shovel (Daddysaurus also likes to garden). One clever trick involves tempting Daddysaurus with a drawing of a hole, taped to the wall, because he fixes everything that breaks. Daddysaurus is certainly engaged in the children’s lives, not a workaholic or absent, but he does fall into some standard tropes associated with fathers. The rhyming quatrains stumble at times but for the most part bounce along. Overall, though, text and art feel somewhat formulaic and likely will tempt only devotees of the series. The final page of the book (after Daddysaurus is caught with love) has a space for readers to write a note or draw a picture of their own Daddysaurus. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
This frenetic ode to fatherhood is predictable fare but may please series fans. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-72826-618-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
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BOOK REVIEW
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