Remember to share this at harvest and Halloween time for a fresh and wonderfully tame autumn tale.
From the moment of planting, a little seed wishes for the ability to be truly frightening.
It is fall, and a small pumpkin seed smiles from the garden. As the season passes, it attempts to scare whatever comes near it with a “Boo.” Try though the seed might, neither leaf, grub nor snowflake is impressed. But the wind is reassuring: “It’s not time for scaring….Not yet. Be patient. You’ll be scary soon enough.” With those wise words, the wind then blows “soil over the seed to keep him from the cold.” Spring arrives, and the seed awakens. Reaching for the sun, he is now a little sprout with attitude. Curly tendrils make him look a little fierce, but an old boot, shovel and watering can pay him no mind. The growth continues as he adds more leaves, blooms with orange flowers and produces small green fruit. Only when he has matured into a large pumpkin and transformed into a jack-o’-lantern does his “BOO!” get him his wished-for results. Wunderli’s new take on the life cycle of a seed works well as a metaphor for a young child’s desire to grow. Zeltner’s lush illustrations created with paint, glazes and stains on wood shine with gentle charm and lend appealing texture to the various natural scenes.
Remember to share this at harvest and Halloween time for a fresh and wonderfully tame autumn tale. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 12, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9708-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014
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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