Children will stay wide awake, day or night, to finish this funny sleepy-time story.
Getting a good day’s rest is tough for a young vampire.
Trying to settle down in his casket isn’t easy for little Vlad, what with the terrifying cacophony coming from outside. He complains about “CLICKETY CLACK” and “SKREEK” sounds, while an accompanying image depicts a smiling, pink-skinned letter carrier delivering mail. Mama responds that it’s just Sirus the Slithery out for a bike ride; an illustration shows a huge striped snake in a top hat. But what about that loud “HERNK” (an image depicts a wailing fire engine)? Mama tells him it’s Gogonk the Ghastly, a horned, devilish duck, on his way to pick up the paper. The witty digital illustrations will have kids chuckling. The things Vlad sees as nightmarish are portrayed in a cutesy, childlike scrawl; suns, butterflies, and even trees are portrayed with wide smiles. Meanwhile, Gogonk and Sirus are grotesque, Tim Burton–esque creatures, but Vlad finds them reassuring. Does the artwork suggest that Vlad really hears the human world? Or are these scenes the result of his overactive imagination? The final illustration, showing Mama in her coffin, tormented by thoughts of the things that go bump in the day, may influence kids’ responses to these questions. Endearing Vlad has mint-green skin and small horns and fangs; lavender-skinned Mama wears batwing-shaped eyeglasses and curls her long, dark hair with snakes. This twist on the bedtime tale will induce giggles—and, maybe, some reflection about kids’ own bedtime-stalling tactics.
Children will stay wide awake, day or night, to finish this funny sleepy-time story. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 6, 2024
ISBN: 9780593616642
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 4, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2024
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind.
The cool beans again step up to do a timorous fellow legume a fava…this time at the pool.
Will a rash decision to tackle the multistory super-slide lead to another embarrassing watery fail for our shy protagonist? Nope, for up the stairs right behind comes a trio of cool beans, each a different type and color, all clad in nothing but dark shades. They make an offer: “It’s not as scary if you go with friends!” As the knobby nerd explains once the thrilling ride down is done, “They all realized that I just needed some encouragement and support.” Just to make sure that both cool and uncool readers get the message, the narrator lets us know that “there are plenty of kind folks who have my back. They’re always there when I need them.” The beany bonhomie doesn’t end at the bottom of the slide, with all gliding down to the shallow end of the pool (“3 INCHES. NO DIVING”) for a splashy finale. This latest early reader starring characters from John and Oswald’s immensely popular Food Group series will be a hit with fans. Fun accessories, such as a bean who rocks pink cat-eye frames, add some pizzazz to the chromatically and somatotypically varied cast.
Another quirky take on the series theme that it’s cool to be kind. (Easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: March 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780063329560
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Feb. 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child...
Imani endures the insults heaped upon her by the other village children, but she never gives up her dreams.
The Masai girl is tiny compared to the other children, but she is full of imagination and perseverance. Luckily, she has a mother who believes in her and tells her stories that will fuel that imagination. Mama tells her about the moon goddess, Olapa, who wins over the sun god. She tells Imani about Anansi, the trickster spider who vanquishes a larger snake. (Troublingly, the fact that Anansi is a West African figure, not of the Masai, goes unaddressed in both text and author’s note.) Inspired, the tiny girl tries to find new ways to achieve her dream: to touch the moon. One day, after crashing to the ground yet again when her leafy wings fail, she is ready to forget her hopes. That night, she witnesses the adumu, the special warriors’ jumping dance. Imani wakes the next morning, determined to jump to the moon. After jumping all day, she reaches the moon, meets Olapa and receives a special present from the goddess, a small moon rock. Now she becomes the storyteller when she relates her adventure to Mama. The watercolor-and-graphite illustrations have been enhanced digitally, and the night scenes of storytelling and fantasy with their glowing stars and moons have a more powerful impact than the daytime scenes, with their blander colors.
While the blend of folklore, fantasy and realism is certainly far-fetched, Imani, with her winning personality, is a child to be admired. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 14, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-934133-57-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Mackinac Island Press
Review Posted Online: July 28, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2014
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