An irritating protagonist and a misdelivered moral make for a disappointing tale.
Someone needs a lesson in humility.
In an animal kingdom inspired by medieval Europe, Sir Bragalot, a little white bunny, has earned the ire of the court through his constant boasting. When a dragon is spotted near the kingdom, the cheetah queen suggests to her lion husband that Bragalot is the perfect knight to defeat the dragon. While traveling, Bragalot regrets his boastful ways but quickly falls into bad habits when he discovers the diminutive dragon. This new round of blustering and teasing earns him a scorched tail, because, regardless of size, dragons can still breathe fire. The narration goes on to state that Sir Bragalot “never, ever bragged again,” but the final spread proves otherwise as he is seen lying to readers about this adventure. This lack of a lesson may frustrate caregivers and educators hoping to use the book to show self-aggrandizing readers the folly of flaunted claims and lies, but the real problem is that Bragalot is not a sympathetic character. Readers may be as disgusted with the tiny rabbit as the menagerie of animals in his kingdom. The colorful illustrations do a lot of heavy lifting in an attempt to elevate the book, but they can’t overcome the problem that this bunny is not likable. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An irritating protagonist and a misdelivered moral make for a disappointing tale. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-913639-97-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: New Frontier Publishing
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
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
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