A relatable story about being a good friend that will ring true among young audiences.
Sonny faces a tough decision.
One beautiful fall day, Sonny, an anthropomorphic red fox whom readers may remember from previous titles, finds some paint in the garden. He begins splashing bright colors on bushes, pumpkins, and a fallen tree as his pal Meemo, a dog, looks on. But when Boo, a yellow rabbit, asks to try, Sonny refuses to share. Honey, a pink bear, arrives with balloons to blow up. Boo, Honey, and Meemo have little luck inflating the balloon. They ask Sonny for help, but he just wants to paint and responds with an angry “NO!” The friends take the hint and retreat to a nearby tent to try again. All alone, Sonny remembers that it’s Meemo’s birthday and guesses that the friends are setting up the party in the tent. Unfortunately, all they are doing is creating a mess. The big question is will Sonny help his friends with the birthday party preparations? Four pages of comic tension lead to his answer. “YES!” Young listeners will appreciate this simple yet sweet story. OHora’s signature illustrations depict adorably squat, bigheaded characters with flat colors and small black dashes to add texture to fur. Little ones will likely see themselves in Sonny—and will hopefully take a page from him as he learns valuable lessons in sharing and caring. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A relatable story about being a good friend that will ring true among young audiences. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5476-1190-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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