Fans will love it.
Curious Mr. Fish learns a lot on a vacation adventure, especially about life.
Mr. Fish plans obsessively for his very first vacation, but troubles abound on his journey. First, he gets lost, then he finds his snack bag empty, and then an overstuffed piece of luggage pops open. A friendly octopus suggests an alternate route, an eel directs him to a “briny-good diner,” and a crab helps him get to a rest stop to reload his suitcases. He finally reaches his destination—HelloStone Park Lodge—and knows he’s going to have a great time. But when he unpacks, he realizes, “I forgot my snoozy-snuggly! / My vacation’s a disaster!” Now Mr. Fish wants to go home. Then he takes a deep breath, and “a thought reache[s] out / all the way across the ocean”: though he and his pals miss one another, they will also remember one another. Feeling warm and snug with love, Mr. Fish sleeps soundly. The next day, he dives into all manner of “fin-tastic” fun. Back home, he reflects on his trip. “Not every single part / Of a trip goes swell, / But the detours and the bumps / Are the trip as well.” Diesen’s loose verse unfurls per series formula, but Hanna has some fun with the illustrations. His sea creatures are wonderfully expressive, and the situations Mr. Fish finds himself in offer some chuckles, as with a 90-degree vertical cliff that’s simply signaled “sharp turn ahead.”
Fans will love it. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-374-30194-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Jan. 31, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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