A solid, spooky tale, with vintage-quality illustrations.
A boy goes in search of spooky noises and finds them.
Tim loves walking around the neighborhood with his leashed cat, Frankie, collecting sounds on his portable recorder and microphone. When asked to listen in, older sister Martha declines, since she’s feeling down. Tim encourages her to recommit to a “creepy” song she’s been working on, but it’s missing something. To help, Tim goes in search of some matching sounds. Frankie jumps the fence around a seemingly abandoned old house, forcing Tim to follow. At first, the site is eerily quiet. Then Frankie implores the two skeletal residents to aid in making some “scary sounds,” so Tim (who can’t see the specters) can record a whole plethora of auditory shenanigans. There are no macabre vibes here, just some supernatural fun. The intentionally simple text leads to a few clunky dialogue scenes and some basic plot contrivances, but the overall story is entertainingly quaint. The art is reminiscent of classic newspaper comic strips—think hand-drawn lines, squat characters with round heads, and flat, layered colors—and will induce nostalgia in adult readers. Scenic details populate many panels, while the many onomatopoeias likewise establish a playful setting. Tim and Martha are both light-skinned.
A solid, spooky tale, with vintage-quality illustrations. (Graphic easy reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781662665431
Page Count: 40
Publisher: TOON Books/Astra Books for Young Readers
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
A strong series start.
In a video game, a superpowered rabbit must rescue a singing dog that brings everyone happiness.
In the frame story, a brown-skinned human protagonist plays a video game on a handheld console evocative of the classic Nintendo Gameboy. The bulk of the book relates the game’s storyline: Animal Town is a peaceful place where everyone is delighted by Singing Dog, until the fun-hating King Viking (whose black-mustachioed, pink-skinned looks reference the Super Mario Brothers game series villain, Wario) uses his army of robots to abduct Singing Dog. To save Singing Dog—and fun—the animals send the fastest among them, Simon the Hedgehog, to get Super Rabbit Boy (who gains speed and jumping powers by eating special carrots) to save the day. The chapters take Super Rabbit Boy through video game levels, with classic, video game–style settings and enemies. Throughout the book, when the game’s player loses either a life in the game or the game entirely, the unnamed kid must choose to persevere and not give up. The storylines are differentiated by colorful art styles—cartoonish for the real world, 8-bit pixel-sprite–style for the game. The fast, repetitive plot uses basic, simple sentences and child-friendly objects of interest, such as lakes of lava, for children working on reading independence, while the nerdy in-jokes benefit adults reading with a child.
A strong series start. (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-338-03472-1
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Branches/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2016
A visually engaging but otherwise underwhelming take on a classic.
A retelling of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, set in the Alaskan tundra.
Prolific picture-book author and illustrator Brett depicts Alice with short black hair, tan skin, and a fur-lined parka, while Lewis Carroll’s well-known characters are recast in new guises: The Cheshire Cat and Queen of Hearts appear as a Smilodon (saber-toothed cat) and snowy owl, respectively. Progressing at a rapid-fire pace, the narrative follows key moments of the original plot, including Alice’s fall down the rabbit hole (located within a glacier here), her tea party with the Hatter and the March Hare (this time, with the Old Prospector and the Varying Hare), and a scene where several playing cards paint the roses red (instead, the cotton grass) at the Queen’s behest. Characteristic of Brett’s illustrative style, each spread is packed with detail. Observant readers will find much to explore, from the well-worn playing cards that line each page to the intricate Alaskan birds and mammals featured at every turn. Still, the hectic rhythm of the story might lose youngsters, and its ho-hum text flattens some of Carroll’s whimsy. Adults may be disappointed that Brett has chosen to highlight only the area’s animals and colonial history (the Prospector hearkens back to Alaska’s history of colonial encroachment), with no explicit mention of the land’s rich Indigenous nations and cultures.
A visually engaging but otherwise underwhelming take on a classic. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Nov. 26, 2024
ISBN: 9780593533888
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
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