This title feeds and calms listeners’ imaginations in the most delightful way.
The book jacket’s depiction of a Leonardo da Vinci–esque creature transporting a child across an emerald sky signals a highly original approach to a pitch for a pet.
Sporting a scarlet bowler hat, the cylindrically shaped girl describes her requirements: cuddly but strong; adept at flying and swimming; capable of shrinking and growing on demand. The dialogue indicates that she is talking with her parents. They may be offstage, but it is also possible that what seems to be the monster/pet on the facing page (and elsewhere) is a dreamy composite of the parents—a provocative ambiguity. Soon after Rikki crawls into bed, a voice invites her to play hide-and-seek. The ensuing nocturnal adventure involves the rhinoceroslike creature’s fulfillment of her wishes. Composed of a patchwork of foil and saturated colors (especially red and green) and replete with a tusk, wings, and stylish shoes, the monster continuously morphs, expanding at the climax to escape a spiky sea ogre. While the textured scenes are mysterious and quirky, and the protagonist is anxious at times, the award-winning, Czech-born collaborators balance tension with joy: “Rikki’s heart beats faster, full of excitement.” Girl and pet have fully bonded by the conclusion, when the child asks the monster to stay “please, and always protect me.”
This title feeds and calms listeners’ imaginations in the most delightful way. (Picture book.4-6)Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-988-8240-47-0
Page Count: 40
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: Oct. 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2015
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
A light touch delivers an increasingly common but important message.
As her name suggests, Itty Bitty Betty Blob is a small, amorphous monster, but that’s not what sets her apart.
It’s Betty’s cheerful demeanor that makes her different from her peers. What kind of monster “rejoice[s] at rainbows” and “dance[s] among the dandelions”? Betty’s pink hue also distinguishes her from her classmates, who are rendered in a black-and-white palette, and makes her stand out in her rather somber, expressionistic setting. Brief, alliterative sentences keep the pages turning as readers learn about her trouble fitting in at school: While the other students faithfully reproduce a still life of dead flowers on a table, hers is a vibrant image of a living, yellow daisy. The crisis comes to a head on picture day. Despite the dreadful outfit her mother selects, Betty can’t grimace fiercely enough. As she travels through the spooky forest to school, the diminutive monster is distracted by a pink puff. Following it, she encounters an entire fluffy community that encourages her to be true to herself. Her frightful frock becomes an extravaganza of flowers. The climax involves a mood transformation for the entire class as puffs emerge from Betty’s dress, tickling everyone as the flash goes off. Children will enjoy the humor in the reversal of expectations around classroom culture—and will be heartened by Betty’s willingness to embrace what makes her different—although subsequent readings don’t yield much more.
A light touch delivers an increasingly common but important message. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: June 4, 2024
ISBN: 9781662640148
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Hippo Park/Astra Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: March 23, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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