A fun series installment that’s less focused on dental hygiene and more on magical hijinks.
Tooth fairies discover an unusual creature as they’re prepping for a talent show in this illustrated children’s book, the third in a series.
When kids put baby teeth under their pillows, Tooth Collectors from the land of Brushelot gather them up to make fairy dust, which enables them to fly. Only well-brushed teeth make the grade. In two previous installments, Batina and her fellow newbies learned their jobs and helped a friend who was banished to Decay Valley. Now it’s time for the annual Tooth Fairy Day Celebration, which includes a talent show. Batina and her friends hope to win first place with their pompom cheer, but first, they come across a small, scared rainbow-colored animal called a caticorn. Until her mother can be found, they name the caticorn Enamelina and take care of her—discovering she’s something of a handful, however adorable. Her shenanigans jeopardize the team’s performance. One fairy sprains her ankle and can’t compete; meanwhile, other contestants are delayed by weather. The cheer and dance teams combine as the Brushelot Pompom Brigade. Enamelina joins in, surprising everyone with a special talent, and the story ends on a heartwarming note. In her third chapter book, Ditto explores the social world of Brushelot. The story teaches a gentle lesson about the real responsibilities of having a pet. The fairies also demonstrate good problem-solving skills by pivoting with the reformed performance team. Luckily, Enamelina’s mischief provides entertaining plot obstacles, and there’s plenty of fairy-dust magic, celebration, and friendship. Utomo, who illustrated the previous books, again provides enjoyably whimsical, pastel digital images that depict racially diverse fairies.
A fun series installment that’s less focused on dental hygiene and more on magical hijinks.Pub Date: May 27, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-73-733810-9
Page Count: 84
Publisher: Ditto Enterprises
Review Posted Online: July 30, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
More trampling in the vineyards of the Literary Classics section, with results that will tickle fancies high and low.
Recasting Dog Man and his feline ward, Li’l Petey, as costumed superheroes, Pilkey looks East of Eden in this follow-up to Tale of Two Kitties (2017).
The Steinbeck novel’s Cain/Abel motif gets some play here, as Petey, “world’s evilest cat” and cloned Li’l Petey’s original, tries assiduously to tempt his angelic counterpart over to the dark side only to be met, ultimately at least, by Li’l Petey’s “Thou mayest.” (There are also occasional direct quotes from the novel.) But inner struggles between good and evil assume distinctly subordinate roles to riotous outer ones, as Petey repurposes robots built for a movie about the exploits of Dog Man—“the thinking man’s Rin Tin Tin”—while leading a general rush to the studio’s costume department for appropriate good guy/bad guy outfits in preparation for the climactic battle. During said battle and along the way Pilkey tucks in multiple Flip-O-Rama inserts as well as general gags. He lists no fewer than nine ways to ask “who cut the cheese?” and includes both punny chapter titles (“The Bark Knight Rises”) and nods to Hamiltonand Mary Poppins. The cartoon art, neatly and brightly colored by Garibaldi, is both as easy to read as the snappy dialogue and properly endowed with outsized sound effects, figures displaying a range of skin colors, and glimpses of underwear (even on robots).
More trampling in the vineyards of the Literary Classics section, with results that will tickle fancies high and low. (drawing instructions) (Graphic fantasy. 7-10)Pub Date: Dec. 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-545-93518-0
Page Count: 256
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 13, 2018
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