Here’s a party kids would be happy to attend—and a book they’ll want to return to.
A father and child make an imaginative trek to a party.
Daddy is walking Sophia to Matthew’s birthday party. On the way, Sophia poses fanciful questions about how they might get there if they were various creatures. What if they were cats, frogs, magpies, rhinoceroses, aliens, ghosts, or witches? Daddy, not missing a beat, responds with creative, humorous answers—and in delightful, rollicking rhyme, no less—while the comical, bulgy-eyed illustrations simultaneously depict the pair in these guises. It’s a good thing the duo’s walk to the party apparently takes a while, allowing each inspired adventure to play out to its “logical” conclusion. Sophia and Daddy—unseen in human form until this point—finally arrive at their destination and are warmly greeted by Matthew and a caregiver. After receiving Daddy and Sophia's gift, Matthew asks Sophia in to play. In an amusing final twist, Matthew invites the rest of the “guys” to join them. This refreshingly funny and thought-provoking tale, translated from Spanish, will make a wonderful read-aloud at birthday parties. Children will have a ball pondering Sophia’s quirky queries, devising “what-if?” scenarios of their own and coming up with answers (rhymes not required). Daddy and brown-haired Sophia are pale-skinned; the party hosts are tan-skinned.
Here’s a party kids would be happy to attend—and a book they’ll want to return to. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2024
ISBN: 9788410074187
Page Count: 48
Publisher: NubeOcho
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
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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