DON'T PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!

Name: DON'T PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD!
Author: Bob Shea
ISBN: 978-142316807-2

by Bob Shea ; illustrated by Bob Shea ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 7, 2014

Children often see themselves as the underdog in an adultcentric world; they’ll be rooting for the bunnies (all three…no...

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Buddy is one cranky, hungry monster.

He yells at the mountains, the trees and even the sun. “You’re not so hot, SUN!” But whom does he like to yell at the most? Bunnies! He’s going to eat them up. “No, please, no!” the bunnies quiver. “We were about to make cupcakes!” Buddy, not one to fall for trickery, declares, “Cupcakes first. Bunnies for dessert.” But of course, after eating nine cupcakes, he’s far too full to eat another bite. He promises to return for the bunnies the next day. Thus, the manipulation continues. The bunnies take him swimming so he’s too tired to eat them. Then they form the Stripey-Stripe Club—in honor of Buddy and his orange stripes! Buddy is having so much fun with the bunnies that he forgets the old adage: Don’t play with your food. Well, now he can’t eat the bunnies because they have become…his friends! Buddy, the chubby little monster, looks suspiciously similar to a certain red dinosaur (Dinosaur vs. Bedtime, 2008, etc.) and has the bravado to match. The ending goes a beat too far, but Shea’s storytelling still shines.

Children often see themselves as the underdog in an adultcentric world; they’ll be rooting for the bunnies (all three…no wait, 72 of them). (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014

ISBN: 978-142316807-2

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2013

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013

Categories:

CHILDREN'S ANIMALS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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PIZZA FOR BIRDS
by Bob Shea ; illustrated by Bob Shea

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PARROTFISH HAS A SUPERPOWER
by Jill Esbaum ; illustrated by Bob Shea

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OH, ARE YOU AWAKE?
by Bob Shea ; illustrated by Jarvis

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LOVE FROM THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 15, 2015

Safe to creep on by.

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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

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE FOOD?
edited by Eric Carle

- BOOK REVIEW
WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE BUG?
edited by Eric Carle

- BOOK REVIEW
MY FIRST I SEE YOU
by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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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)