For kids who love hugs and aren’t afraid to share them.
Daddy Bear and his son spend the day seeking out and hugging forest denizens.
Their breakfast of honey having given them a “warm, sweet feeling inside,” the two set off to find Mr. Beaver to give him a squeeze. Though the recipient is at first frightened, he acquiesces to a hug and is pleased to find that “it felt strange but nice.” Litte Bear wants to give out more hugs (troublingly, Daddy Bear states that “Hugging always makes you feel good”), so the two spend the rest of their day passing out hugs to at-first-reluctant forest animals (Dziubak’s bears show no teeth, but they are big and do have fearsome claws). And at the end of the day, Little Bear points out what observant readers will have seen all along: they’ve forgotten someone very important. Readers used to such fare as Who Invited You, by Candace Fleming and illustrated by George Booth (2001), and Oliver and His Alligator, by Paul Schmid (2013), will be waiting for the other shoe to drop, especially when Ms. Anaconda says it would be her pleasure to get a hug from the bears. But it never comes—this is simply a sweet tale about making others feel good by giving them hugs. The seemingly digital illustrations raise and lower tension with each page turn; though the animals’ faces are not consistently expressive, Dziubak packs plenty of humor in by playing with composition and relative size.
For kids who love hugs and aren’t afraid to share them. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-68297-142-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Words & Pictures
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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