An upbeat, gratifying birthday excursion despite a child’s tense preoccupation.
Dazzled by the purchase of a large, rainbow lollipop, Oliver can focus only on how it will taste rather than on the wonders at the zoo.
It’s Oliver’s birthday and a beautiful day for a zoo trip. At the entrance, a lollipop vendor intrigues, and Daddy buys Oliver “a huge round rainbow on a long white stick. The perfect birthday lollipop.” Oliver is told to wait till after dinner to eat it; now, they are to enjoy the zoo. Oliver holds it tight, mesmerized by the colors and the prospect of how it will taste. At the carousel, Oliver is too worried he might drop his treat to ride and decides to stay behind with the stroller, watching little sib Louis, Mommy, and Daddy enjoy the ride. With eyes and thoughts only for the lollipop, Oliver misses all the fun and sights: the lions, the pandas, the monkeys, the flamingos, and the glowing feathers of the peacocks. By the time they get to the giraffes, Oliver can’t wait any longer and begins to unwrap the lollipop—when the tall, long-necked animal reaches down and grabs it right out of his hand. Though Oliver’s eyes are full of tears, the walk back through the zoo becomes more meaningful when little Louis sweetly whispers, “Look.” Oliver blinks and sees the colors of the toucan’s beak and much more. Vivid, bright paintings illuminate the well-told narrative centering a child’s singular fixation, disappointment, and family warmth. Oliver and Louis are biracial, with a Black mom and White dad. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 50% of actual size.)
An upbeat, gratifying birthday excursion despite a child’s tense preoccupation. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: May 4, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-20300-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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