Sophisticated and sweet.
Elevator Bird operates the lift at a big city hotel, run by and for animals.
The staff do their jobs well. They adeptly welcome seals, a tiger family, a zebra, and a porcupine with colorful quills to the multistory hotel with the rainbow doorway. There is only one problem. Elevator Bird knows the city well, but he is always cooped up in the moving compartment or in his basement room, shared with Mousey the housekeeper. The basement has no windows, and Elevator Bird pines for “a room with a view.” He “longs for dark nights filled with city lights.” Mousey takes his request to the rest of the staff, and they quickly “hatch a plan,” smuggling supplies to execute it up the stairs to keep it secret. Elevator Bird is bored all day with no staff traffic, but that evening, “everyone piles in” to share in the wonderful gift for Elevator Bird: a room up on the roof, where he can enjoy the city views and the stars. The droll conversational tidbits (“Quelle surprise!” exclaims Elevator Bird) and the quirky, colorful illustrations create a humorous book with a worldly air. The children who might like this best will have visited an urban hotel, but the funny animals, many wearing human clothes, will appeal to all. Individual readers or listeners will enjoy the small details on every page. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 37.3% of actual size.)
Sophisticated and sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Nov. 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-525-64881-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2020
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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