A guidebook that many kids won’t mind following.
Rules will keep you safe from Dennis.
In this fourth-wall–busting story, readers learn immediately that “If you break the rules, Dennis will eat you.” The first question is, who is Dennis? Dennis is a large purple monster, not even slightly threatening, with a goofy smile and a “weird thing” on one foot. Enumerated rules commence, ranging from practical (“You must sit on the floor”) to silly (“You are now required to moo like a cow”) to mindful (“Keep your eyes closed. Feel your heartbeat. Feel the floor”). The six unnamed children shown on almost every page display a variety of skin tones and hairstyles. This fills the bill for teachers or librarians looking for an active storytime choice, though the 11th and final rule (“Feed Dennis…THE BOOK OF RULES”) is impossible to carry out, making for a confusing ending. Furthermore, the thread of preachiness throughout, complimenting children on following rules that often align with the behavior adults desire from them, means that some young people will see this as a transparent attempt to get them to follow instructions outside of the story. Still, for groups of kids who want an excuse to make fish faces and give themselves bear hugs, this will occupy several entertaining minutes. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A guidebook that many kids won’t mind following. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-374-31454-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Aug. 17, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
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
Chilling in the best ways.
When a young rabbit who’s struggling in school finds a helpful crayon, everything is suddenly perfect—until it isn’t.
Jasper is flunking everything except art and is desperate for help when he finds the crayon. “Purple. Pointy…perfect”—and alive. When Jasper watches TV instead of studying, he misspells every word on his spelling test, but the crayon seems to know the answers, and when he uses the crayon to write, he can spell them all. When he faces a math quiz after skipping his homework, the crayon aces it for him. Jasper is only a little creeped out until the crayon changes his art—the one area where Jasper excels—into something better. As guilt-ridden Jasper receives accolade after accolade for grades and work that aren’t his, the crayon becomes more and more possessive of Jasper’s attention and affection, and it is only when Jasper cannot take it anymore that he discovers just what he’s gotten himself into. Reynolds’ text might as well be a Rod Serling monologue for its perfectly paced foreboding and unsettling tension, both gentled by lightly ominous humor. Brown goes all in to match with a grayscale palette for everything but the purple crayon—a callback to black-and-white sci-fi thrillers as much as a visual cue for nascent horror readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Chilling in the best ways. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6588-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
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