Good, clean fun.
Never mind a monster under the bed; this one’s under the tub.
Jackson loves playing outside. He acquiesces to his mother’s demand that he bathe when he gets dirty since he knows that the Bath Monster’s second favorite food is dirty bath water. The implication is that dirty children are its first favorite, so Jackson is keen on keeping the monster satisfied by bathing and draining the tub. Eventually, however, he begins to doubt the Bath Monster’s existence and refuses to get into the tub. The next spread shows a filthy, clothed, and smug boy walking away with his teddy bear, unaware that underneath the floorboards, a huge, grimy Bath Monster expectantly looks at the pipe to the bathtub drain. Compelled by its hunger, the monster searches for its first favorite food. “Me?” Jackson asks looking out at the readers. The answer doesn’t come on the next page when his mother finds only the dirty teddy bear in Jackson’s bed; instead readers discover the punch line at book’s end in a note saying that Jackson left to make the Bath Monster’s first favorite food: mud pies. Throughout, Ross’ pictures of human characters (all white) channel the energy and humor of Quentin Blake’s art, and the illustrations generally help ease some choppy textual pacing.
Good, clean fun. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-5124-0426-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Andersen Press USA
Review Posted Online: Jan. 8, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2016
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
Leave this on the shelf and take the kids outside to really move.
An interactive board book promises a variety of experiences.
A book that gets kids up and moving sounds like a great idea. The half-circle cutout of the spine and large handle formed by another die cut on the right side are intriguing. Unfortunately, the rhyming instructions for using the book as an exercise prop are confusing. Even adults will find themselves puzzled when told to “paddle the floor,” or to “hang on the handles. Step over the book. / You're a turtle in its shell! Go peek out and look.” The busy pictures shift perspective according to each scenario presented but give few visual clues. For example, the only hint of a dinosaur on the page where readers are told to “put this book to your mouth and let out a roar” like a dinosaur are the teeth that line the edges of what is meant to be a gaping maw. It’s not always obvious whether the book is meant to be facing readers or turned away from them, adding another layer of confusion. Furthermore, many of the instructions run counter to how young children are typically taught to treat books, as when they are told to step on it and then waddle or to lift it with their feet. The relatively thin board pages and weak handles will soon be torn by normal handling; following the directions in the text will only hasten the destruction.
Leave this on the shelf and take the kids outside to really move. (Board book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 3, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7611-8733-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2016
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