A useful and adorable book that’s the just-right blend of story and resource.
The worry monster feels anxious before a school field trip and practices calming techniques to cope.
This practical picture book guides little monsters through seven “Mindful Monster Moves” that help them regulate and quiet their minds. In advance of a field trip, the worry monster’s concerns include missing the bus, getting lost, or needing their pet dragon. To help, the teacher explains mindfulness moves such as stretching, deep breathing, shoulder tapping, and practicing gratitude. Eventually, the worry monster acknowledges that ahead of the trip, there will be big feelings, but they’re prepared to cope—and maybe even have fun. The text takes a very realistic, honest look at the realities of anxiety while also providing concrete, useful methods for regulation. The worry monster is an adorable blue creature with big eyes and goofy teeth who also turns a common childhood fear of monsters into a friendly, helpful mentor. A note to caregivers from the author, licensed psychologist Cook-Cottone, addresses anxiety and management tools for young children. The story confronts deep feelings head-on without dismissing or assuaging, and the included exercises are both doable and helpful for all ages. This book is a must-have for teachers and caregivers looking for an age-appropriate guide to coping with fears and worries for young children.
A useful and adorable book that’s the just-right blend of story and resource. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9780593567913
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2024
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
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
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