A splendidly illustrated picture book that misses the emotional mark.
It’s almost Holi, the Hindu festival of colors, and Gauri can hardly wait.
Gauri’s family announces that, this year, each family member will make their own gulal—or colored powder—out of natural ingredients. Gauri’s father, mother, grandmother, grandfather, and brother choose a slip of paper from a bowl to determine which color they will be assigned. When Gauri closes her eyes to pick her paper, she becomes, unlike the rest of her family, furious: instead of yellow, which is what she longed for, she ends up with red. While everyone else in Gauri’s household gets busy using vegetables, herbs, and spices to create their assigned colors, Gauri stomps around the house and yard feeling upset. She is determined not to participate until her grandfather recounts one of the stories behind Holi, which is about a demoness who unsuccessfully tries to wield the fire of her anger against her nephew, Prahlada. On hearing the story, Gauri wonders whom her rage serves and whether she has the strength to let go of the “anger in her heart.” The book’s illustrations are beautifully textured and artfully designed. While the text’s underlying message is well intentioned, the author’s choice to frame Gauri’s overwhelming emotion as anger, rather than jealousy, makes the story read more like a misplaced condemnation of South Asian girls’ rage than a story about mindfulness.
A splendidly illustrated picture book that misses the emotional mark. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-8075-3357-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: Oct. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2021
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
High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out.
From the changing season to decorations and costumes, children anticipate Halloween.
Little readers will enjoy all of the familiar markers of the season included in this book: falling leaves, jack-o’-lanterns, Halloween costumes, candy, and trick-or-treating. Everett’s rhyming couplets bob along safely, offering nothing that will wow but enough to keep the pages turning. It’s Wen’s illustrations that give the most to readers, full of bustling scenes and lovely details. A double-page spread of the children in town in front of the candy store includes jars with individually drawn treats and other festive delicacies. The townwide celebration features instruments, creative costumes, and a diverse crowd of people. There are three children who appear as the focus of the illustrations, though there are many secondary characters. One bespectacled White child is drawn in a manual wheelchair, another has dark brown skin, the third presents Asian. The child in the wheelchair is shown as a full participant. Readers will enjoy spotting spooks like a vampire, goblin, and werewolf, as they sometimes appear in the background and other times blend in with the crowd. The familiar trappings of Halloween paired with the robust illustrations will have little readers wanting to reread even if the content itself is not startlingly new.
High-quality, inclusive illustrations make this one stand out. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-0586-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
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