No batteries needed, but it’s a stale nonstarter in every other way.
Thanks to a windup mechanism, Moore’s holiday poem gets a jingly “Deck the Halls” for accompaniment.
To go with the Christmas chestnut, Martin goes for a relentlessly classic look with Victorian-style interiors, a tubby White Santa in a red suit, White parents in full nightclothes (one holding a lit candle as she bends over her sleeping urchin), and old-fashioned toys scattered all about. In a cutout corner a small lever is labeled with an invitation to “Wind and Play!”—which is easier said than done, as the interior spring is thick enough to give even Superman trouble getting past five or six turns. The tinkly version of the carol also leaves out the musical repetition of the first two lines, so singing along is out, and since it only runs about 20 seconds at full speed (slowing down as the spring unwinds), it has plenty of time to become monotonous over the three or so minutes it takes to read the verses aloud. The music-box mechanism is housed in a one-inch-thick box affixed to the back cover that makes the flimsy pages of the actual book feel like an afterthought. Still, parents seeking some gift that doesn’t have a screen or require batteries may see some appeal.
No batteries needed, but it’s a stale nonstarter in every other way. (Holiday novelty. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-4197-5490-6
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Magic Cat
Review Posted Online: Aug. 10, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An early reader that kids will want to befriend.
In an odd-couple pairing of Bear and Chipmunk, only one friend is truly happy to spend the day at the beach.
“Not me!” is poor Chipmunk’s lament each time Bear expresses the pleasure he takes in sunning, swimming, and other activities at the beach. While controlled, repetitive text makes the story accessible to new readers, slapstick humor characterizes the busy watercolor-and-ink illustrations and adds interest. Poor Chipmunk is pinched by a crab, buried in sand, and swept upside down into the water, to name just a few mishaps. Although other animal beachgoers seem to notice Chipmunk’s distress, Bear cheerily goes about his day and seems blithely ignorant of his friend’s misfortunes. The playful tone of the illustrations helps soften the dynamic so that it doesn’t seem as though Chipmunk is in grave danger or that Bear is cruel. As they leave at the end of the book Bear finally asks, “Why did you come?” and Chipmunk’s sweet response caps off the day with a warm sunset in the background.
An early reader that kids will want to befriend. (Early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8234-3546-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A high-spirited night free of frights.
Actor Plaza and writer/producer Murphy join forces for another bewitching picture book.
Halloween is always a dismal time for Pheenie the witch, because her parties are such failures—until the day spunky young Luna Lopez, who yearns to be a helpful bruja like her grandma in Puerto Rico, appears on her porch. The two strike a bargain: Pheenie will instruct Luna in spellcasting in return for Luna’s help planning and organizing a properly spook-tacular event. Luna helps Pheenie clean up the house and encourages her to substitute tasty cider for wormy trick-or-treat apples and to put out kid-friendly snacks like candy corn and cookies in place of the witch’s typical candied spiders and baked troll fingers. The effervescent narrative is further stoked by several rhymed spells and suitably energetic illustrations. Peck sets the tale in a racially diverse urban neighborhood, and as the witching hour approaches (at around eight p.m., according to the clock on the mantel), in troops a group of eager-looking young partygoers in upscale costumes to play hide-and-seek with real ghosts and dance to a goblin band. It’s a Halloween hullaballoo! Elderly Pheenie is pale-skinned; Luna is tan-skinned.
A high-spirited night free of frights. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9780593693018
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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