Simply sweet.
Clara finds herself left out when her best friend, Annabelle, gets close to Juliette, the new girl.
Clara herself tells the story. Her life used to be perfect, mostly because of her “wonderful, brilliant, very best friend,” Annabelle. They were inseparable. Their parents even said that they were “soul sisters.” But everything changes when the new girl, Juliette, walks into their classroom. Clara isn’t worried at first, but when Annabelle and Juliette walk to recess hand in hand, Clara’s knees go weak. “There can’t be THREE soul sisters!” (It’s clearly “mathematically impossible.”) Clara feels as if she has begun “to shrink…and shrivel…until [she becomes] very, very, very small.” She comes up with three diabolical plans to get rid of Juliette (one consists of dumping her insect collection on Juliette) but just sits on the bench in the hallway and cries. When Annabelle’s kite gets stuck in a tree, Clara climbs it without even thinking. A breaking branch leads to a hard fall and then to a visit to the doctor. Later, Annabelle brings Clara a big box of chocolate-covered cherries—her favorite. Juliette arrives shortly after with a gift as well. Clara realizes that there can be three soul sisters. Chaperon captures the openness and fragility of childhood with a valuable lesson. Iris’ childlike illustrations add charm and age-appropriate emotion. Her cast of cartoon animal characters with human clothes and hairstyles recalls Marc Brown’s Arthur without feeling imitative.
Simply sweet. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-2-7338-5066-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Auzou Publishing
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school...
The familiar theme of the challenges facing a new kid in town is given an original treatment by photographer Border in this book of photos of three-dimensional objects in a simple modeled landscape.
Peanut Butter is represented by a slice of white bread spread with the popular condiment. The other characters in the story—a hamburger with a pair of hot dogs in tow, a bowl of alphabet soup, a meatball jumping a rope of spaghetti, a carton of French fries and a pink cupcake—are represented by skillfully crafted models of these foods, anthropomorphized using simple wire construction. Rejected by each character in turn in his search for playmates, Peanut Butter discovers in the end that Jelly is his true match (not Cupcake, as the title suggests), perhaps because she is the only one who looks like him, being a slice of white bread spread with jelly. The friendly foods end up happily playing soccer together. Some parents may have trouble with the unabashedly happy depiction of carbs and American junk food (no carrots or celery sticks in this landscape), and others may find themselves troubled by the implication that friendship across difference is impossible.
Still, preschoolers will likely savor this mouthwatering treatment of a subject that looms large in many early school experiences. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 29, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-399-16773-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2014
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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