A clever fractured fairy tale that princes and princesses of all ages will enjoy.
When a giant keeps the town awake at night with his loud stomping, Princess Sophie takes matters into her own hands.
Written in rhyme, Hart and Warburton’s latest princess book once again turns a classic fairy tale upside down (The Princess and the Presents, 2014, etc.). Princess Sophie refuses to believe that giants are “mean and bad”—even if the book of fairy tales says they are. She scales the magical beanstalk in the backyard in order to help the giant sleep so that she and her people can slumber peacefully, too. Inspired by old tales of gingerbread houses, three bears, and peas under mattresses, Sophie offers the giant several remedies. At first he rejects her help, but her persistent kindness wins him over. While each attempt brings the giant closer to a restful night, his cranky stomping continues. Can Sophie discover the final piece of the puzzle before the queen sends her troops after the giant? Once again the old fairy tales come to their rescue. In addition to her refreshing twist on “Jack and the Beanstalk,” Hart also reverses traditional gender roles: the king cooks, and the queen chops wood. Young readers may not notice, but adults will appreciate the shift. Warburton’s bright mixed-media artwork provides a playful stage for Sophie’s colossal adventure.
A clever fractured fairy tale that princes and princesses of all ages will enjoy. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8007-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity.
A collection of parental wishes for a child.
It starts out simply enough: two children run pell-mell across an open field, one holding a high-flying kite with the line “I wish you more ups than downs.” But on subsequent pages, some of the analogous concepts are confusing or ambiguous. The line “I wish you more tippy-toes than deep” accompanies a picture of a boy happily swimming in a pool. His feet are visible, but it's not clear whether he's floating in the deep end or standing in the shallow. Then there's a picture of a boy on a beach, his pockets bulging with driftwood and colorful shells, looking frustrated that his pockets won't hold the rest of his beachcombing treasures, which lie tantalizingly before him on the sand. The line reads: “I wish you more treasures than pockets.” Most children will feel the better wish would be that he had just the right amount of pockets for his treasures. Some of the wordplay, such as “more can than knot” and “more pause than fast-forward,” will tickle older readers with their accompanying, comical illustrations. The beautifully simple pictures are a sweet, kid- and parent-appealing blend of comic-strip style and fine art; the cast of children depicted is commendably multiethnic.
Although the love comes shining through, the text often confuses in straining for patterned simplicity. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4521-2699-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
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