A delightful pearl of a story.
A singer develops a frog in her throat—literally.
Pearl, a tiny gosling with sleek black feathers and a bright orange bill and webbed feet, loves to sing. She sings “every day, everywhere” and tailors her melodies to her animal friends: She serenades the ewe with “sleeping songs,” the piglets with “slurping songs,” and the cow with “mooing songs.” Pearl doesn’t ask if they want her to sing to them, though they listen attentively and don’t seem to mind. One morning, Pearl encounters something quite unexpected: A little green frog leaps into her open mouth while she’s vocalizing! Thereafter, Pearl doesn’t sing: Bill closed, she croaks. No more songs of any sort fall from Pearl’s bill. There’s only silence…until a piglet issues—what’s that?—encouragement! “Sing, Pearl, sing!” her small porcine pal calls out. Could it be Pearl’s friends miss her tunes? At that, Pearl opens her mouth, and the frog escapes its confinement. Pearl sings out in joy once more. This sweet tale, expressed in simple, declarative sentences, is about someone who happily goes about doing what she loves best. It’s also about cheering on those who are good at something and letting them glow like the “pearls” they truly are. The vividly colored, uncluttered illustrations capture Pearl and her friends at their adorable best and allow readers to focus on them; musical notes dance merrily throughout.
A delightful pearl of a story. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780547867595
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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