Readers will eagerly line up to join these mermaid games.
Will mermaids ruin Goblin’s first vacation in centuries?
In this latest in the series, Goblin is exhausted (check out our hero’s extensive and humorous To Do List if you have any doubts) and decides to take a much-needed break. Goblin heads to the beach, only to make a horrible discovery: The seashore is the site of the 105th Annual Mermaid Tournament of Awesomeness. Most people think mermaids are amazing, but Goblin begs to differ. Mermaids are loud! They ruin Goblin’s search for inner peace, and the shadows cast by their sand castles keep Goblin from getting a tan. Forget about snorkeling—an arm-wrestling competition between an octopus and several mermaids makes the experience “less than serene.” Cranky Goblin’s first-person narration is delightfully understated at times. “What was supposed to be a lazy trip down the river turned out to be anything but,” complains Goblin as the mermaids swim by, nearly knocking Goblin off an inner tube and sending our hero down a waterfall. Just as things are looking dangerous, Goblin finds a way to triumph. As with previous installments, Willan has crafted an enticing setting filled with saucer-eyed characters and rendered in a candy-colored palette; big-eared, exasperated Goblin’s particularly endearing, and readers will love spotting the protagonist’s slug sidekick on each page, as well as a crab who’s magically been turned into a taco.
Readers will eagerly line up to join these mermaid games. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 4, 2025
ISBN: 9781665962599
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2025
A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series.
Another creature is on the loose.
The long-running series continues its successful formula with this Hallmark card of a book, which features bright illustrations and catchy rhymes. This time, the mythical creature the racially diverse children set out to catch is an absent mom who does it all (lists of descriptors include the words banker, caregiver, nurse, doctor, driver, chef, housekeeper, teacher, entertainer, playmate, laundry service, problem solver, handywoman, cleaner, and alarm clock) but doesn’t seem to have a job outside the home and is inexplicably a dinosaur. As the children prepare gifts and a meal for her, the text becomes an ode to the skills the Mamasaurus possesses (“Day or night she’s always there. / She meets every wish and need”) and values she instills (“Sometimes life can mean hard work,” “kindness matters,” and “what counts is doing your best”). This well-intentioned selection veers into cliche generously sprinkled with saccharine but manages to redeem itself with its appreciation for mothers and all that they may do. Endpapers include a “to” and “from” page framed in a heart, as well as a page where young gift givers or recipients can draw a picture of their Mamasaurus.
A syrupy tribute to mothers that may please fans of the series. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 5, 2024
ISBN: 9781728274300
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 6, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A wandering effort, happy but pointless.
The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.
Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.
A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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