Overall, a fun, energetic read.
A young frog who loves to jump embarks on prosaic adventures, undertakes a heroic journey, and celebrates homecoming in this episodic outing.
In this quaintly illustrated chapter book featuring talking animals, Bibbit and friends are exuberant in their outdoor play. They build a frog pyramid, enjoy a picnic, and celebrate Little Rabbit’s birthday. Hopping from scene to scene, the story occurs in somewhat haphazard order. Readers discover Bibbit’s main obstacle (he has forgotten how to swim and wants to learn again); his outstanding talent and passion (jumping, which he practices physically and philosophically); character traits including ingenuity (seen in banana picking) and perseverance (seen in finishing a bad-tasting apple). Bibbit’s younger sister, Little Frog, is his ally, prompting him to adopt new perspectives and to confront his fears, leading him into the city via a river and on to new heights. Though faithful in preserving the original work’s episodic structure along with most of its content, this English translation does not do so with the quirky, humorous chapter titles that uniformly mention “The Day.…” As it is, the narrative logic is a little fuzzy, including how space and time operate in this story world: Consider the English “No Jumping” versus the Chinese “The Day With No Jumping at All.” If the thematic thread is somewhat lost in textual translation, the original illustrations capture the story’s spirit.
Overall, a fun, energetic read. (Fantasy. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-776572-77-9
Page Count: 78
Publisher: Gecko Press
Review Posted Online: June 29, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
Extraordinary introductory terror, beautiful to the eye and sure to delight younger horror enthusiasts.
What terrors lurk within your mouth? Jasper Rabbit knows.
“You have stumbled your way into the unknown.” The young bunny introduced in Reynolds and Brown’s Caldecott Honor–winning picture book, Creepy Carrots (2012), takes up Rod Serling’s mantle, and the fit is perfect. Mimicking an episode of The Twilight Zone, the book follows Charlie Marmot, an average kid with a penchant for the strange and unusual. He’s pleased when his tonsils become infected; maybe once they’re out he can take them to school for show and tell! That’s when bizarre things start to happen: Noises in the night. Slimy trails on his bedroom floor. And when Charlie goes in for his surgery, he’s told that the tonsils have disappeared from his throat; clearly something sinister is afoot. Those not yet ready for Goosebumps levels of horror will find this a welcome starter pack. Reynolds has perfected the tension he employed in his Creepy Tales! series, and partner in crime Brown imbues each illustration with both humor and a delicate undercurrent of dark foreshadowing. While the fleshy pink tonsils—the sole spot of color in this black-and-white world—aren’t outrageously gross, there’s something distinctly disgusting about them. And though the book stars cute, furry woodland creatures, the spooky surprise ending is 100% otherworldly—a marvelous moment of twisted logic.
Extraordinary introductory terror, beautiful to the eye and sure to delight younger horror enthusiasts. (Early chapter book. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781665961080
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
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