Offers a few laughs but not likely to become a storytime favorite.
A ghost sets out to design the perfect house for his family.
Their old house (an Addams Family–style mansion) having been condemned, the ghosts must relocate. Hard-hatted Leonard takes charge. The family finds a plot in an idyllic, leafy suburb. A contractor and a supplier are visibly uneasy with specter clients but take their money nonetheless. Leonard knows his way around a construction site, but at every step, family members object. The house isn’t haunted enough! It isn’t dank or dark! Where are the “creaks and leaks”? What about the cobwebs? Laconic Leonard is undeterred. Once the home is finished, it looks perfectly ordinary. Soon neighbors and a dog (last seen lifting a leg on the For Sale sign) arrive with a welcome balloon and brownies. As the ghosts peek out, the terrified humans flee, and the ghosts grab the goodies. Pleasant, precise cartoon-type art features realistic colors and depicts the phantoms as white blobs with arms, differentiated by accessories such as a bow tie, hair ribbon, or propeller cap. The puns might tickle adult readers, and the odd sight gag may elicit a chuckle here and there. Overall, though, it’s a lengthy buildup to a rather underwhelming punchline. Construction fans will go for the building parts, and the ghosts are admittedly quite endearing, but most readers will be disappointed. Human characters are diverse.
Offers a few laughs but not likely to become a storytime favorite. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 8, 2025
ISBN: 9780374392444
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
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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
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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