A party worth crashing.
The lunch bunch is back—and they’re throwing a party!
It starts as a boring day. Neither Pizza nor Taco knows what to do besides sit. To spice things up, Taco suggests they stand. Standing feels better—until they realize that they’re now “STANDING and doing nothing.” The two anthropomorphic foodstuffs move and jump around to help them “THINK. / THINK. / THINK.” Taco gets a brilliant idea to throw a party. After “AWESOME!” and “YAAAS!” the pair gets to work planning. They make a list of supplies. They decide to host the party at “THE WATER PARK!” They send off invitations to their foodie friends: Cake, Ice Cream, the Chicken Tender twins, Hamburger, Hot Dog, and Cheeseburger. But when they get to the Water Park, they discover that it’s closed: “AHHHHHHHHHH!” Their names are misspelled on their party sign: “AHHHHHHHHHH!” A balloon pops and scares Ice Cream: “AHHHHHHHHHH!” Will anything go according to plan? Shaskan hams it up even more for this second course after Who’s the Best? (2020). Patterned backgrounds reiterate the setting and occasionally form full-page images alongside smaller panels. The low overall panel count (eight or fewer per spread) and repetitive five-chapter structure aid emerging readers in decoding the deliciously fun text. Unfortunately, inconsistent choices about panel borders may confuse some new-to-comics readers. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.3-by-12-inch double-page spreads viewed at 82% of actual size.)
A party worth crashing. (Graphic early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 26, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12334-8
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
A touching, beautifully illustrated story of greatest interest to those in the New York City area.
A pair of cardinals is separated and then reunited when their tree home is moved to New York City to serve as the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.
The male cardinal, Red, and his female partner, Lulu, enjoy their home in a huge evergreen tree located in the front yard of a small house in a pleasant neighborhood. When the tree is cut down and hauled away on a truck, Lulu is still inside the tree. Red follows the truck into the city but loses sight of it and gets lost. The birds are reunited when Red finds the tree transformed with colored lights and serving as the Christmas tree in a complex of city buildings. When the tree is removed after Christmas, the birds find a new home in a nearby park. Each following Christmas, the pair visit the new tree erected in the same location. Attractive illustrations effectively handle some difficult challenges of dimension and perspective and create a glowing, magical atmosphere for the snowy Christmas trees. The original owners of the tree are a multiracial family with two children; the father is African-American and the mother is white. The family is in the background in the early pages, reappearing again skating on the rink at Rockefeller Center with their tree in the background.
A touching, beautifully illustrated story of greatest interest to those in the New York City area. (author’s note) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-7636-7733-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
Thoughtful and joyful.
A child of Vietnamese descent fantasizes about the perfect outfit for Tết.
One night, Mai dreams about being a big “STAAAAAAR” and fielding questions on the red carpet. Mai’s literal dream dress is a sparkly silver ballroom gown with a sweetheart cut. After waking up, the child is eager to tell Ba all about it, but first it’s time to get ready. It’s the first day of Tết, or Lunar New Year, and the family plans to celebrate at Mai’s grandmother’s house. Though Mai loves visiting Bà Nội, the child balks at donning the áo dài, a Vietnamese outfit consisting of a tunic worn over trousers. “Stars wear dresses and gowns,” Mai tells Ba. But Ba shows Mai the family photo album, explaining that Bà Nội had her own sewing school in Vietnam and that her students lovingly dubbed her the “Queen of Áo Dài.” To keep their traditions alive when the family emigrated, Bà Nội continued to make áo dài for her loved ones, and the children learned to sew them as an expression of love. Finally, with a newfound appreciation for the garment, Mai greets Bà Nội with a hug, clad in a customized áo dài made by Ba. Told entirely through naturally expressed and well-paced dialogue and accompanied by vividly textured illustrations, this is a loving tale of a family finding a creative way to reshape a beloved tradition.
Thoughtful and joyful. (glossary, “let’s design our own áo dài” activity) (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2025
ISBN: 9781665917346
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
