A fun tale for little ones while sitting around a campfire.
In Keres’ series picture book, two siblings have a silly fright during a family camping trip.
After a day of typical camping activities (including fishing) in a wooded area, two kids and their father try to sleep in their tents—but then they hear something out of the ordinary: a “moan, then a whine” and then “panting and wheezing.” Suddenly, the creature howls, and the moonlight reveals that the mysterious beast has big, scary claws. Maybe it’s a wolf or a bear—or possibly a sasquatch, they think. Should they climb a tree for safety? As the delightful rhymes, images, and comically illustrated onomatopoeias go by, young readers will be on the edge of their seats as they try to imagine what’s outside the tent. In the end, they see the monster’s true face and learn why it came for a visit. Young children are likely to be entertained by Keres’ succinct yet playful storytelling and Lin’s expressive, full-color cartoon illustrations. It’s the perfect book to bring on a family camping trip, as it presents a scary campfire story that won’t have kids losing sleep afterward. The family members are portrayed with pale skin.
A fun tale for little ones while sitting around a campfire.Pub Date: April 30, 2024
ISBN: 979-8989916016
Page Count: 39
Publisher: Buzzbook Press
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned.
All the reasons why a daughter needs a mother.
Each spread features an adorable cartoon animal parent-child pair on the recto opposite a rhyming verse: “I’ll always support you in giving your all / in every endeavor, the big and the small, / and be there to catch you in case you should fall. / I hope you believe this is true.” A virtually identical book, Why a Daughter Needs a Dad, publishes simultaneously. Both address standing up for yourself and your values, laughing to ease troubles, being thankful, valuing friendship, persevering and dreaming big, being truthful, thinking through decisions, and being open to differences, among other topics. Though the sentiments/life lessons here and in the companion title are heartfelt and important, there are much better ways to deliver them. These books are likely to go right over children’s heads and developmental levels (especially with the rather advanced vocabulary); their parents are the more likely audience, and for them, the books provide some coaching in what kids need to hear. The two books are largely interchangeable, especially since there are so few references to mom or dad, but one spread in each book reverts to stereotype: Dad balances the two-wheeler, and mom helps with clothing and hair styles. Since the books are separate, it aids in customization for many families.
New parents of daughters will eat these up and perhaps pass on the lessons learned. (Picture book. 4-8, adult)Pub Date: May 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4926-6781-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
Give this child’s-eye view of a day at the beach with an attentive father high marks for coziness: “When your ball blows across the sand and into the ocean and starts to drift away, your daddy could say, Didn’t I tell you not to play too close to the waves? But he doesn’t. He wades out into the cold water. And he brings your ball back to the beach and plays roll and catch with you.” Alley depicts a moppet and her relaxed-looking dad (to all appearances a single parent) in informally drawn beach and domestic settings: playing together, snuggling up on the sofa and finally hugging each other goodnight. The third-person voice is a bit distancing, but it makes the togetherness less treacly, and Dad’s mix of love and competence is less insulting, to parents and children both, than Douglas Wood’s What Dads Can’t Do (2000), illus by Doug Cushman. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: May 23, 2005
ISBN: 0-618-00361-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2005
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