A superb celebration of storytelling when the truth proves insufficient.
A whodunit where the “who” and the “dunit” are the least interesting parts of the story.
Cat has just walked in to discover a cookie jar shattered on the floor, the cookies nowhere to be seen. When asked to explain what happened, cheeky Mouse is more than happy to oblige. Mouse tells a story of how the cookies, tired of being cooped up, destroyed their own jar and are now wandering the countryside, free. “Honestly we should be happy for them.” When Cat doesn’t buy it, Mouse follows up the tale with one about a slimy monster, then one about an alien named Georgette, then one about a bug with multiple hungry relatives. Cat screams for Mouse to just tell the real story, so Mouse does. “I stole and ate all the cookies, and then the jar fell and broke. The end.” Morality isn’t in question here. In fact, it’s only at this point that Cat realizes how dull the truth can be. Ultimately, Cat asks for another cookie story, which Mouse provides…for a cookie. Brimming with marvelous read-aloud potential (frustrated characters make for fantastic vocal oscillations), Ruzzier’s latest provides plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, many stemming from Cat and Mouse’s odd-couple relationship. The text is simple enough for younger readers, while the surreal watercolors are the perfect complement to Mouse’s out-of-this-world imaginings.
A superb celebration of storytelling when the truth proves insufficient. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9781419755262
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Sept. 9, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
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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