Youngsters will empathize with Bear and derive comfort from the loving togetherness his family displays while keeping the...
Bear and Floppy of Found fame (2014) are back to soothe little fears.
A storm is noisily disrupting Bear’s attempt to sleep, and Floppy isn’t doing too well, either. Thunder rumbles, and Bear dives under the bed with Floppy. Mama comes into his bedroom under the pretense of needing comfort herself. Papa, looking uncertain, also needs Bear to help him through the storm. Bear is happy to oblige both of them. After a particularly loud boom, Mama and Papa return the favor and kiss Bear’s nose and tickle his ear. The storm eventually quiets, and all end up cuddled together in Bear’s bed. The refrain, “Bear felt better,” is repeated throughout the story as Mama and Papa use different strategies to help Bear overcome his anxiety. Readers will appreciate the graduating reassurances that range from self-soothing to group hugs. The ditty used by both Bear and his parents is hampered by faulty meter, a minor weak point: “I’ll hold you tight. I’ll keep you warm. / My love will keep you safe from the storm.” Yoon’s familiar digitized art evokes the texture of pastel crayons outlined in heavy black. Bear’s emotions are displayed to good effect with simple tweaks of eye and mouth positions.
Youngsters will empathize with Bear and derive comfort from the loving togetherness his family displays while keeping the storm at bay. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 6, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-8027-3780-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: Oct. 21, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2014
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
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