An engaging observance of a Māori holiday.
A kiwi reports exciting news.
Little Kiwi awakens, shouts, “It’s coming!” and hurries to share thrilling news. She rouses her sleepy animal pals, urging them to join her in pursuit. Each friend explains that Little Kiwi’s sense that something momentous is imminent is misguided, but, failing to persuade Kiwi to return to her bed, each gets up and follows her. Their final destination is the beach, where they wait until…they witness the Pleiades, the star cluster that, Little Kiwi explains, means the Māori New Year has arrived. Acknowledging the occasion, each friend indulges in the holiday’s special customs: eating, enjoying family time, singing, and playing. This sweet New Zealand import nicely captures the anticipation preceding the celebration in that country, which occurs “around May or June” according to backmatter. Children will enjoy learning about the festival and comparing it to other New Year celebrations. They’ll also appreciate the “sky is falling” vibe inherent in the animals’ humorous chase. The flightless, nocturnal kiwi is native to New Zealand; her wide-eyed buddies’ names are, like hers, Māori, but readers not in the know will have to do a bit of outside research to discover that. The crisp, stylized illustrations are energetic, and the palette of browns, blue, yellows, grays, and white and black highlight the nighttime escapade. Characters’ names, sound words, and other important words are emphasized in larger fonts.
An engaging observance of a Māori holiday. (star chart) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-76036-094-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Starfish Bay
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property.
Since a reformed Grinch is hardly any fun, this follow-up Grinches him up once more.
Those seeking more of the same, prepare to receive precisely that. Christmas is coming (again!), and the Grinch can hardly wait. He’s been patient all year, and now he can finally show the Whos down in Who-ville how much he’s changed. When the Grinch learns of a tree-decorating contest, he figures that if he wins, it’ll prove he truly has the Christmas spirit. He throws himself into the task, but when it comes time to judge the trees, the Grinch is horrified to discover that he’s received only the second-place trophy. Can Cindy-Lou Who find the words to save the day? Replicating many of the original beats and wordplay of the original, this tale feels like less a sequel and more like a vaguely rewritten variation. Meanwhile, Ruiz’s art seeks to bridge the gap between the animated Chuck Jones version of the Grinch and the one depicted in the original book. This thankless task results in a strange uncanny valley between Seuss and Jones but does allow the artist a chance to colorize everything and lend some racial diversity to the Who population (Cindy-Lou is light-skinned). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780593563168
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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