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THE BOY OF A THOUSAND FACES

Name: THE BOY OF A THOUSAND FACES
Author: Brian Selznick
ISBN: 0-06-026265-6

by Brian Selznick & illustrated by Brian Selznick ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 30, 2000

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Selznick (Barnyard Prayers, p. 120, etc.) illustrates this beguiling tale of a monster-mad lad with a mix of lurid film stills and masterfully rendered, dramatically under-lit portraits in pencil. Inspired by the classic movies of horrormeister Lon Chaney, Halloween-born fifth grader Alonzo so yearns to be known as “The Boy Of A Thousand Faces” that he’s compiling a photo album of self-portraits in monster makeup. In the end his dream comes true, in a way, after vague but chilling rumors of a strange beast in town propel Alonzo to instant notoriety as a monster expert and one of his Polaroids is printed in the newspaper as a purported picture of the prowler. This inspires nearly every local trick-or-treater to dress as a monster come Halloween. Who is responsible for this amazing happening? Ah, only the Shadow knows. Readers will practically hear the sinister organ music rising behind this tribute to the ghoulish delights of monster mania and those old black and white screamers—the cover and the interior illustrations guarantee a ready-made audience. Nicely done. (Fiction. 9-11)

Pub Date: Sept. 30, 2000

ISBN: 0-06-026265-6

Page Count: 48

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2000

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
THE FRINDLE FILES
by Andrew Clements ; illustrated by Brian Selznick

- BOOK REVIEW
BIG TREE
by Brian Selznick ; illustrated by Brian Selznick

- BOOK REVIEW
KALEIDOSCOPE
by Brian Selznick ; illustrated by Brian Selznick

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THE CHRISTMASAURUS

by Tom Fletcher ; illustrated by Shane Devries ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 23, 2018

Reads like a grown-up’s over-the-top effort to peddle a set of kid-friendly premises—a notion that worked for the author’s...

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A boy asks Santa for a dinosaur and gets a life-changing experience.

Cribbing freely from any number of classic Christmas stories and films, musician/vlogger Fletcher places his 10-year-old protagonist, William, who uses a wheelchair, at the head of an all-white human cast that features his widowed dad, a girl bully, and a maniacal hunter—plus a dinosaur newly hatched from an egg discovered in the North Pole’s ice by Santa’s elves. Having stowed away on Santa’s sleigh, Christmasaurus meets and bonds with William on Christmas Eve, then, fueled by the power of a child’s belief, flies the lad to the North Pole (“It’s somewhere between Imagination and Make-Believe”) for a meeting with the jolly toymaker himself. Upon his return William gets to see the hunter (who turns out to be his uncle) gun down his dad (who survives), blast a plush dinosaur toy to bits, and then with a poster-sized “CRUNCH! GULP!” go down Christmasaurus’ hatch. In the meantime (emphasis on “mean”), after William spots his previously vicious tormenter, Brenda Payne, crying in the bushes, he forgives trespasses that in real life would have had her arrested and confined long ago. Seemingly just for laffs, the author tosses in doggerel-speaking elves (“ ‘If it’s a girl, can we call her Ginny?’ / ‘I think it’s a boy! Look, he’s got a thingy!’ ”) and closes with further lyrics and a list of 10 (secular) things to love about Christmas. Devries adds sugary illustrations or spot art to nearly every spread.

Reads like a grown-up’s over-the-top effort to peddle a set of kid-friendly premises—a notion that worked for the author’s The Dinosaur That Pooped a Planet (2017), but not here. (Fantasy. 9-11)

Pub Date: Oct. 23, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5247-7330-4

Page Count: 384

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: July 15, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2018

Categories:

CHILDREN'S DINOSAURS & PREHISTORIC CREATURES | CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE'S A BEAR IN YOUR BOOK
by Tom Fletcher ; illustrated by Tom Fletcher

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE'S A UNICORN IN YOUR BOOK
by Tom Fletcher ; illustrated by Greg Abbott

- BOOK REVIEW
THERE'S A WITCH IN YOUR BOOK
by Tom Fletcher ; illustrated by Greg Abbott

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GINGERBREAD BABY

by Jan Brett ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 1999

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In a snowbound Swiss village, Matti figures it’s a good day to make a gingerbread man. He and his mother mix a batch of gingerbread and tuck it in the oven, but Matti is too impatient to wait ten minutes without peeking. When he opens the door, out pops a gingerbread baby, taunting the familiar refrain, “Catch me if you can.” The brash imp races all over the village, teasing animals and tweaking the noses of the citizenry, until there is a fair crowd on his heels intent on giving him a drubbing. Always he remains just out of reach as he races over the winterscape, beautifully rendered with elegant countryside and architectural details by Brett. All the while, Matti is busy back home, building a gingerbread house to entice the nervy cookie to safe harbor. It works, too, and Matti is able to spirit the gingerbread baby away from the mob. The mischief-maker may be a brat, but the gingerbread cookie is also the agent of good cheer, and Brett allows that spirit to run free on these pages. (Picture book. 4-8)