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A SPARK IN THE DARK

Name: A SPARK IN THE DARK
Author: Pam Fong
ISBN: 978-0-06-313653-3

by Pam Fong ; illustrated by Pam Fong ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 18, 2022

Sweet but more than a little fishy.

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An exploration of light and darkness featuring a little orange fish with enormous eyes.

Throughout most of the sparsely worded, full-bleed pages, the tiny creature literally demonstrates the dangers in situations involving both darkness and light—which offer parallels to real life. Unfortunately, there is a disconnect underlying what could have been straightforward metaphor. This quirky, aesthetically appealing story introduces two people—an adult and a child, both light-skinned—who approach their boat with fishing poles. Onboard, the adult fishes while the child tosses breadcrumbs to a group of hungry fish. The story never acknowledges the dangers to fish in these sun-drenched waters (“The light is warm and welcoming. In the light, it is easy to see what’s ahead”), and the little fish happily pursues a sinking breadcrumb. As the fish swims deeper still, general warnings accompany specific hazards in the art—for example, a near miss with an anglerfish illustrates the idea that some sparks can be the wrong ones to follow when searching for light. The text—often white against the deep blues of the ocean—reassuringly notes that the darkness can make us feel frightened, lost, or angry, and many children will enjoy the comical expressions on the fish’s face. Art, layout, and text create a soothing and often humorous mood, but vegetarian readers may feel uneasy. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Sweet but more than a little fishy. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-06-313653-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Greenwillow Books

Review Posted Online: June 21, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
HEDGEHOG AND THE LOG
by Pam Fong ; illustrated by Pam Fong

- BOOK REVIEW
WHEN THE FOG ROLLS IN
by Pam Fong ; illustrated by Pam Fong

- BOOK REVIEW
ROU AND THE GREAT RACE
by Pam Fong ; illustrated by Pam Fong

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LOVE FROM THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 15, 2015

Safe to creep on by.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?
edited by Eric Carle

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BUG?
edited by Eric Carle

- BOOK REVIEW
MY FIRST I SEE YOU
by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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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)