For adults wanting to teach world harmony, though it likely won’t resonate with kids.
A rainbow-hued string swirls from one character to the next, creating a glow of kinship wherever it lands.
An adult with brown skin and cornrows hugs a lighter-skinned child with short, black hair. The youngster pulls a wagon containing a plant and watering can down the street; the child’s string enters a window and goes into a light-skinned, elderly person. The simple, repetitive text, which initially seemed to be directed to the child, takes on a more universal feeling—wisdom imparted from reader to listener: “There is a string, / an invisible string, / that ties my heart / to yours. // Even if we have not met yet, / my heart is tied to yours.” The cord enters a variety of diverse people and visits a birthday party, a pet burial, and a community garden and crosses mountains, deserts, and oceans. Ultimately, the child from the first spread offers garden produce to the elderly neighbor. The notion that our humanity connects us is a worthy message, as is the idea that even when separated from loved ones, something binds us. However, these concepts have been addressed more successfully, with a stronger framing story, as in Patrice Karst’s popular The Invisible String (2018), illustrated by Joanne Lew-Vriethoff. Boynton-Hughes offers a catalog of situations rather than a fully developed protagonist; the charming visuals don’t completely compensate for the resulting lack of emotional investment. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
For adults wanting to teach world harmony, though it likely won’t resonate with kids. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 20, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4521-8165-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2022
Safe to creep on by.
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
