A close but not cloying embrace of a book thanks to humorous touches.
This picture book narrated by a young boy celebrates the joys of cuddling, in several variations.
On this book’s rather puzzling opening page, the tousle-haired young narrator says he sometimes wakes up early in his own bed to find his parents on either side of him. (All are white.) Isn’t a child’s bed awfully crowded with two adults added? That aside, everyone seems to enjoy this “snuggle sandwich.” The narrator goes on to explain that snuggles are good when you’re happy or sad; pets like them, though some more than others (the expression on the cat’s face is priceless); and there are different kinds of snuggles. A snuggle plus a giggle is a sniggle, and snuggling plus tickling is snickling. The boy likes to imagine being a wildlife biologist and snuggling his favorite animals, like a gorilla, hyena, and zebra. Finally, the best way to end a busy day of snuggling is with “something that is warm, cozy, and feels like love”—another snuggle. Sweet and affectionate, Spivey’s debut book is something of a cuddle itself, lightened by funny moments. For example, a gorilla’s slightly too-tight snuggle makes the narrator reflect: “Now I know how my cat feels!” Hembrough’s colorful, dynamic debut illustrations support the text well, underlining the comedy in some scenes—for example, when a zebra’s kick sends the narrator flying (maybe snickling wasn’t a good idea).
A close but not cloying embrace of a book thanks to humorous touches.Pub Date: June 8, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-692-07938-6
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Get Your Snuggle On
Review Posted Online: July 3, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.
In Florence’s middle-grade fantasy novel, a young girl’s heart is tested in the face of an evil, spreading Darkness.
Eleven-year-old Lydia, “freckle-cheeked and round-eyed, with hair the color of pine bark and fair skin,” is struggling with the knowledge that she has reached the age to apprentice as an herbalist. Lydia is reluctant to leave her beloved, magical Mulberry Glen and her cozy Housetree in the woods—she’ll miss Garder, the Glen’s respected philosopher; her fairy guardian Pit; her human friend Livy; and even the mischievous part-elf, part-imp, part-human twins Zale and Zamilla. But the twins go missing after hearing of a soul-sapping Darkness that has swallowed a forest and is creeping into minds and engulfing entire towns. They have secretly left to find a rare fruit that, it is said, will stop the Darkness if thrown into the heart of the mountain that rises out of the lethal forest. Lydia follows, determined to find the twins before they, too, fall victim to the Darkness. During her journey, accompanied by new friends, she gradually realizes that she herself has a dangerous role to play in the quest to stop the Darkness. In this well-crafted fantasy, Florence skillfully equates the physical manifestation of Darkness with the feelings of insecurity and powerlessness that Lydia first struggles with when thinking of leaving the Glen. Such negative thoughts grow more intrusive the closer she and her friends come to the Darkness—and to Lydia’s ultimate, powerfully rendered test of character, which leads to a satisfyingly realistic, not quite happily-ever-after ending. Highlights include a delightfully haunting, reality-shifting library and a deft sprinkling of Latin throughout the text; Pit’s pet name for Lydia is mea flosculus (“my little flower”). Fine-lined ink drawings introducing each chapter add a pleasing visual element to this well-grounded fairy tale.
An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781956393095
Page Count: 288
Publisher: Waxwing Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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