Will have readers giggling from beginning to end.
A haunted butt? Who could believe it? But the smells don’t lie!
When two siblings spend the night at their grandparents’ new place for the very first time, they are understandably anxious—after all, with its gothic turrets, the house is intimidating. Plus, the neighbors say that it’s haunted. When it’s time for bed, strange noises and smells fill the air, and the kids are sure that an angry ghost is lurking nearby. The tension rises with each page turn as the siblings try to outrun whatever spirit is plaguing them. But as they move from place to place, it somehow stays with them. The protagonist suddenly realizes the source of the odd noises: “The ghost is up your butt!” The kids panic, but the truth is revealed dramatically when Grampa and Gramma open the bedroom door and immediately identify the smell, which isn’t supernatural at all. “I knew chili for dinner was a bad idea,” Gramma says. In Sanchez’s illustrations, green and yellow swirls pop against the muted gloom of the house; readers will positively smell the noxious fumes. From the opening lines—“Tonight is a big stinkin’ deal”—all the way through to the conclusion, this tale will have readers in stitches with its goofy wordplay. The siblings and their grandmother are tan-skinned; Grampa is brown-skinned.
Will have readers giggling from beginning to end. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 29, 2025
ISBN: 9780593751060
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Penguin Workshop
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet notion that falls flat.
A hit song reimagined as a book about parental love.
Featured in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1, Perri’s “A Thousand Years” deals with the speaker’s fear of romantic love. In picture-book form, it explores a parent’s unwavering love for a child, who grows from an infant into a toddler over the course of the narrative. The caregiver expresses awe when the youngster learns to stand and fear that the child might fall while beginning to walk. “I have spent every day waiting for you,” the parent says. “Darling, don’t be afraid.” What the child might fear isn’t clear from the joyful balloon- and rainbow-filled illustrations. The story borders on cloying, and words that might work when sung and accompanied by music don’t sound fresh on the page: “Time goes by. / You grow ever stronger as you fly.” The refrain, however, is a lovely sentiment: “I have loved you for a thousand years. / I’ll love you for a thousand more.” Perri’s legion of fans may flock to this version, illustrated by Ruiz with sparkling stars, bubbles, and big-eyed toddlers, but it doesn’t hold together as a narrative or an ode, as it’s billed, and it’s a long way from the original song. The child is tan-skinned, the parent is lighter-skinned, and other characters are diverse.
A sweet notion that falls flat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622599
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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
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