Witches, pumpkins, and amphibian amusement make for a captivating Halloween tale.
In this picture book, a kindly witch forges an improbable friendship with a warty ingredient for her Halloween brew.
Little Greenie Curlytoe isn’t like the other witches in the forest. Every fall, when the coven practices magic, the green-skinned witch heads to the pumpkin patches to find gourds to decorate her shack. But she still wishes to lead the others in their midnight flight on Halloween, an award reserved for the maker of the best witch’s brew. As the others seek out herbs and spices, Greenie hunts the one ingredient sure to win her the prize—Harlow, “the ugliest and fattest toad around.” But the brown toad with “juicy warts” is as fast as he is fat and excellent at hiding. As they shout taunting rhymes at each other, an unexpected kinship develops. Wulff’s tale of an unlikely friendship mixes simple prose with lyrical verses between Greenie and Harlow, their catchy, sing-song exchanges made to be read aloud. Stone’s illustrations make the pimply, pointy-eared witches and warty toad an adorable version of gross. Fly tacos are joined by slumbering bats in nightcaps and Greenie’s charming, pumpkin-adorned dress, all in soft yet vibrant fall colors. Though never scary or spooky, these touches ensure this volume will join others on bedsides for the Halloween season. During Harlow’s game of hide-and-seek with Greenie, the book encourages readers to find the pages that show the toad, adding another level of engagement with Stone’s autumnal artwork.
Witches, pumpkins, and amphibian amusement make for a captivating Halloween tale.Pub Date: May 31, 2023
ISBN: 979-8988039303
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property.
Since a reformed Grinch is hardly any fun, this follow-up Grinches him up once more.
Those seeking more of the same, prepare to receive precisely that. Christmas is coming (again!), and the Grinch can hardly wait. He’s been patient all year, and now he can finally show the Whos down in Who-ville how much he’s changed. When the Grinch learns of a tree-decorating contest, he figures that if he wins, it’ll prove he truly has the Christmas spirit. He throws himself into the task, but when it comes time to judge the trees, the Grinch is horrified to discover that he’s received only the second-place trophy. Can Cindy-Lou Who find the words to save the day? Replicating many of the original beats and wordplay of the original, this tale feels like less a sequel and more like a vaguely rewritten variation. Meanwhile, Ruiz’s art seeks to bridge the gap between the animated Chuck Jones version of the Grinch and the one depicted in the original book. This thankless task results in a strange uncanny valley between Seuss and Jones but does allow the artist a chance to colorize everything and lend some racial diversity to the Who population (Cindy-Lou is light-skinned). (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780593563168
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story.
A home-renovation project is interrupted by a family of wrens, allowing a young girl an up-close glimpse of nature.
Renata and her father enjoy working on upgrading their bathroom, installing a clawfoot bathtub, and cutting a space for a new window. One warm night, after Papi leaves the window space open, two wrens begin making a nest in the bathroom. Rather than seeing it as an unfortunate delay of their project, Renata and Papi decide to let the avian carpenters continue their work. Renata witnesses the birth of four chicks as their rosy eggs split open “like coats that are suddenly too small.” Renata finds at a crucial moment that she can help the chicks learn to fly, even with the bittersweet knowledge that it will only hasten their exits from her life. Rosen uses lively language and well-chosen details to move the story of the baby birds forward. The text suggests the strong bond built by this Afro-Latinx father and daughter with their ongoing project without needing to point it out explicitly, a light touch in a picture book full of delicate, well-drawn moments and precise wording. Garoche’s drawings are impressively detailed, from the nest’s many small bits to the developing first feathers on the chicks and the wall smudges and exposed wiring of the renovation. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Renata’s wren encounter proves magical, one most children could only wish to experience outside of this lovely story. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: March 16, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12320-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade/Random
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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