Gus and his grandfather celebrate Halloween together in this eighth entry in the series by Mills and Stock (Gus and Grandpa at Basketball, 2001, etc.). Gus has a problem to solve: his parents don’t approve of store-bought Halloween costumes, and they think their son can come up with his own. He appeals to Grandpa, who luckily has a trunk full of family clothing in his attic. Grandpa finds a Canadian Mountie uniform worn by Gus’s father as a Halloween costume when he was a boy. Gus proudly tells his friends, “My grandma made it for Daddy when he was a little boy.” In a satisfying conclusion, Gus’s father takes a picture of his son in the uniform, with Grandpa standing nearby. Mills quietly shows Gus solving his own problem, both in figuring out a suitable costume and in handling how he presents his heirloom costume to his friends. Stock’s understated watercolor illustrations in muted fall tones complement the story well, and she captures Grandpa’s warm affection for his grandson. This mid-level easy reader will also work well as a Halloween read-aloud both for younger children and for the early elementary grades. (Easy reader. 6-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2002
ISBN: 0-374-32816-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In a snowbound Swiss village, Matti figures it’s a good day to make a gingerbread man. He and his mother mix a batch of gingerbread and tuck it in the oven, but Matti is too impatient to wait ten minutes without peeking. When he opens the door, out pops a gingerbread baby, taunting the familiar refrain, “Catch me if you can.” The brash imp races all over the village, teasing animals and tweaking the noses of the citizenry, until there is a fair crowd on his heels intent on giving him a drubbing. Always he remains just out of reach as he races over the winterscape, beautifully rendered with elegant countryside and architectural details by Brett. All the while, Matti is busy back home, building a gingerbread house to entice the nervy cookie to safe harbor. It works, too, and Matti is able to spirit the gingerbread baby away from the mob. The mischief-maker may be a brat, but the gingerbread cookie is also the agent of good cheer, and Brett allows that spirit to run free on these pages. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-399-23444-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Miranda’s book counts the monsters gathering at a birthday party, while a simple rhyming text keeps the tally and surveys the action: “Seven starved monsters are licking the dishes./Eight blow out candles and make birthday wishes.” The counting proceeds to ten, then by tens to fifty, then gradually returns to one, which makes the monster’s mother, a purple pin-headed octopus, very happy. The book is surprisingly effective due to Powell’s artwork; the color has texture and density, as if it were poured onto the page, but the real attention-getter is the singularity of every monster attendee. They are highly individual and, therefore, eminently countable. As the numbers start crawling upward, it is both fun and a challenge to try to recognize monsters who have appeared in previous pages, or to attempt to stay focused when counting the swirling or bunched creatures. The story has glints of humor, and in combination with the illustrations is a grand addition to the counting shelf. (Picture book. 3-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-15-201835-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1999
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