Monster lovers and mac-and-cheese connoisseurs are sure to eat this one up.
Come to a mac-and-cheese party.
Readers are all invited…that is, if they are monsters. No humans are allowed at this celebration, hosted by a bright green, one-eyed, three-toothed fuzzy monster. All the guests bring their own special mac and cheese. Bat brings bat “mac ’n’ bugs.” The witch brings “glow-in-the-dark mac with snakes and furballs.” The zombie brings “mud mac with fingers.” Readers are asked what kind of mac and cheese they would bring—would their dishes be seasoned with stinky socks, unicorns, or hot dogs? Strategic page turns add suspense as kids are asked to ponder what the spider and the mummy have brought. After all the monsters have arrived, the doorbell rings. It’s two humans (one with purplish skin, one with yellow skin) who have brought their favorite mac and cheese—gasp!—from the box. Despite this faux pas, the monsters and humans happily share a mac-and-cheese meal and remind readers that trying new foods and making new friends are fun. The book’s goofy, childlike, digitally created images are set against bright contrasting backgrounds. Thick black lines and neon colors make for a zany tale, perfect for group read-alouds. Parr keeps the laughs coming fast and furious. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Monster lovers and mac-and-cheese connoisseurs are sure to eat this one up. (two recipes for mac and cheese) (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 27, 2023
ISBN: 9780316376426
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Chilling in the best ways.
When a young rabbit who’s struggling in school finds a helpful crayon, everything is suddenly perfect—until it isn’t.
Jasper is flunking everything except art and is desperate for help when he finds the crayon. “Purple. Pointy…perfect”—and alive. When Jasper watches TV instead of studying, he misspells every word on his spelling test, but the crayon seems to know the answers, and when he uses the crayon to write, he can spell them all. When he faces a math quiz after skipping his homework, the crayon aces it for him. Jasper is only a little creeped out until the crayon changes his art—the one area where Jasper excels—into something better. As guilt-ridden Jasper receives accolade after accolade for grades and work that aren’t his, the crayon becomes more and more possessive of Jasper’s attention and affection, and it is only when Jasper cannot take it anymore that he discovers just what he’s gotten himself into. Reynolds’ text might as well be a Rod Serling monologue for its perfectly paced foreboding and unsettling tension, both gentled by lightly ominous humor. Brown goes all in to match with a grayscale palette for everything but the purple crayon—a callback to black-and-white sci-fi thrillers as much as a visual cue for nascent horror readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Chilling in the best ways. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6588-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
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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