Funny, imaginative, and subversive—sure to be a read-aloud favorite.
Who thought a bathtub could dread bathtime!
Scaredy Bath spends all day every day fretting about the evening. Thumping footsteps coming up the stairs, the hot water, toys and bubbles, and two smelly and stinky little ones—it’s unbearable! When the big hairy dog jumps in, Scaredy Bath decides that’s enough and attempts to leave, but its feet are stuck to the floor. The sink and toilet try to put things into perspective, hilariously (“Think about what I have to put up with,” quips the toilet), but Scaredy Bath still loathes bathtime…until one day, no one comes. And Scaredy Bath is faced with an even more unpleasant prospect—abandonment. Perhaps bathtime might not be so bad after all. Dry, understated text that underscores the topsy-turvy situation is accompanied by giggle-inducing illustrations rendered in loose lines. One image of a child peeing in the bath might make adults cringe but will delight young ones seeking to avoid their own bathtimes. Depicted in bright yellow, Scaredy Bath shows a remarkable range of facial expressions—wide-eyed, cringing, sad, afraid—especially on a spread in which the tub is seen waiting all day for bathtime. This is a funny tale in a long line of narrative twists designed to encourage children to engage in and enjoy a necessary part of childhood life, among them Mitchell Sharmat’s Gregory the Terrible Eater (1980), illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. Scaredy Bath’s family is light-skinned; one of the adults is blond, the other is bald, and the children are dark-haired. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Funny, imaginative, and subversive—sure to be a read-aloud favorite. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Nov. 15, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-52063-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: July 12, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Sadly, the storytelling runs aground.
A little red sleigh has big Christmas dreams.
Although the detailed, full-color art doesn’t anthropomorphize the protagonist (which readers will likely identify as a sled and not a sleigh), a close third-person text affords the object thoughts and feelings while assigning feminine pronouns. “She longed to become Santa’s big red sleigh,” reads an early line establishing the sleigh’s motivation to leave her Christmas-shop home for the North Pole. Other toys discourage her, but she perseveres despite creeping self-doubt. A train and truck help the sleigh along, and when she wishes she were big, fast, and powerful like them, they offer encouragement and counsel patience. When a storm descends after the sleigh strikes out on her own, an unnamed girl playing in the snow brings her to a group of children who all take turns riding the sleigh down a hill. When the girl brings her home, the sleigh is crestfallen she didn’t reach the North Pole. A convoluted happily-ever-after ending shows a note from Santa that thanks the sleigh for giving children joy and invites her to the North Pole next year. “At last she understood what she was meant to do. She would build her life up spreading joy, one child at a time.” Will she leave the girl’s house to be gifted to other children? Will she stay and somehow also reach ever more children? Readers will be left wondering. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-18-inch double-page spreads viewed at 31.8% of actual size.)
Sadly, the storytelling runs aground. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-72822-355-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2020
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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