Agreeably silly stuff in the classic noodlehead vein.
A couple of turkeys do a whole lot of nothing on the farm.
Bob and Tom are both tom turkeys, and they’re good friends. They’re also…not the sharpest tools in the shed, so to speak. In a sequence of time-stamped episodes, the turkeys get soaked in the rain (“ ‘It’s wet,’ Tom noticed. ‘It’s the water,’ Bob explained”), ponder the contents of their heads, conspire to swipe “a suit that swims” from the clothesline so they can take a dip in the pond, and convince themselves that they’ve lost their names. These absurd little episodes are illustrated with detailed mixed-media pictures that depict the friends as plump, bumbling turkeys (who, oddly, seem to have navels) amid other farm animals and people going about their days in the background. Certain scenes seem a bit overworked, with characters blending in a bit too much with the saturated setting, but the humor will help engage readers. Some of the humor is so understated it may take a while to sink in, as when Tom explains to a cow that their names are “small” and have “a round thing in the middle…like a doughnut.” “What kind of doughnut?” the cow asks. Children will ask their caregivers why they are snickering and be thus ushered into the world of Cazet’s dry wit.
Agreeably silly stuff in the classic noodlehead vein. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: July 25, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-6140-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Richard Jackson/Atheneum
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2017
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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
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