Extreme brattiness meets extreme witchiness in this merrily plotted tale.
A posthumously published story of spoiled children and malicious crafting.
Meet Ivy Lou, a spirited child, to say the least. Blessed with two overly indulgent parents who cave to her every whim, Ivy Lou has perfected three different levels of tantrum to get everything she wants. Kassirer incorporates deliciously chosen details as she describes Ivy Lou’s notoriously naughty behavior—from shrieking loudly to threatening to turn herself inside out. But then, in walks a witch with a green face, a pointed hat, and a pair of knitting needles. Before long she has knit Ivy Lou’s parents out of existence, and the girl is recruited to learn to become a proper witch’s child. Unfortunately, Ivy Lou is terrible at it and eventually is ordered to knit a cloak by midnight or be turned into a tiny porcelain pig. Discovered in a pile of manuscripts after the author’s death, this title contains many elements of older children’s books, harkening to the days of Roald Dahl’s work and Betty MacDonald’s Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series. Richardson’s loose, stylistic illustrations capture Ivy Lou’s most horrid moments, alongside the gleefully diabolical expressions of the witch. While the narrative is old-fashioned in look and feel, the storyline’s moralism has a charm that tempers some of the more dated elements. The main characters present white, while group scenes include people of different skin tones.
Extreme brattiness meets extreme witchiness in this merrily plotted tale. (Chapter book. 6-9)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2024
ISBN: 9781685552251
Page Count: 88
Publisher: The Collective Book Studio
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
A close encounter of the best kind.
Left behind when the space bus departs, a child discovers that the moon isn’t as lifeless as it looks.
While the rest of the space-suited class follows the teacher like ducklings, one laggard carrying crayons and a sketchbook sits down to draw our home planet floating overhead, falls asleep, and wakes to see the bus zooming off. The bright yellow bus, the gaggle of playful field-trippers, and even the dull gray boulders strewn over the equally dull gray lunar surface have a rounded solidity suggestive of Plasticine models in Hare’s wordless but cinematic scenes…as do the rubbery, one-eyed, dull gray creatures (think: those stress-busting dolls with ears that pop out when squeezed) that emerge from the regolith. The mutual shock lasts but a moment before the lunarians eagerly grab the proffered crayons to brighten the bland gray setting with silly designs. The creatures dive into the dust when the bus swoops back down but pop up to exchange goodbye waves with the errant child, who turns out to be an olive-skinned kid with a mop of brown hair last seen drawing one of their new friends with the one crayon—gray, of course—left in the box. Body language is expressive enough in this debut outing to make a verbal narrative superfluous.
A close encounter of the best kind. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4253-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
An enigmatic, quirky representation of an active imagination in search of understanding and companionship.
A child finds connection to the world all around in this Korean import.
The illustrations in this unusual picture book achieve a 3-D effect reminiscent of claymation. The opening scene shows an aerial view of a playground scattered with maple and gingko leaves; a tethered dog watches a child aiming at marbles. Accustomed to spending time alone and solitary play, Tong Tong’s fertile imagination infuses a bag of assorted spherical hard candies with powers that give voice to unlikely speakers, such as the living room sofa and Marbles the old dog, each speaking with Tong Tong to share a sentient perspective. The hard candies also channel the tough love hidden within Tong Tong’s father and Grandma’s bubbly, reassuring voice emanating from another realm. The candies’ magic reveals yet another dimension when Tong Tong is drawn outdoors to witness nature’s beauty as copious falling leaves bid farewell to the season. Through these uncanny exchanges, Tong Tong not only makes surprising discoveries, but also delves into complex emotions, celebrates a continuing relationship with Grandma, and takes courageous steps toward a tantalizing conclusion. The enhanced artwork establishes depth and perspective, featuring details some may find initially unsettling—along with the cryptic, open-ended narrative. That said, depictions of facial expressions are skillful and endearing, and the interplay between text and illustrations will cause readers to linger and ponder.
An enigmatic, quirky representation of an active imagination in search of understanding and companionship. (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5420-2959-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Amazon Crossing Kids
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
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