A mostly delectable choice for late fall/early winter readings.
On a snowy afternoon, a mouse grandmother’s cooking aromas attract the noses of her neighbors.
A nice warm sopa, just enough for one, will make things cozy in Abuelita’s sagebrush house. As she cooks, stirs, tastes, and adds ingredients to her pot, the distinct smell of piñon smoke drifts through the wood. “Someone’s cooking something good.” Chipmunk, Rabbit, and Old Bear are determined to find out. “Is it sopa? Neighbors stare. / Three move closer, sniff the air.” But when Abuelita shows them her blue corn soup, the three friends can tell there is enough for only one. Not to worry; Abuelita has a plan for sharing. With each neighbor bringing the last of the fall harvest to Old Bear’s lair, the blue corn soup turns into a friendship stew for all to enjoy. Detailed illustrations drawn in graphite and watercolor washes elicit the charm of these anthropomorphic forest animals dressed in scarves, vest, and hat. The alluringly repetitive rhyme employs the motif of three and moves the story along in an engaging iteration that includes a refrain that’s altered slightly for each character. “Piñon smoke drifts through the wood. / Someone’s cooking something good. / Rabbit bounces, sniffs about. / Is it sopa? He’ll find out.” Three Spanish words—Abuelita, sopa, and amigos—sprinkled throughout are easily understood and add a Latinx flavor, though the decision to italicize the name “Abuelita” is distracting and somewhat off-putting.
A mostly delectable choice for late fall/early winter readings. (recipe) (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-58536-967-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sleeping Bear Press
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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.
