A joyful romp from beginning to end.
A rhyming undersea celebration.
Murray and Flowers stay true to the formula of Unicorn Day (2019), though this time it’s a group of mermaids who are getting together for a can’t-miss shindig. In honor of Mermaid Day, a tan-skinned mer-queen is hosting “a great big bash!” After the preparations are complete, the guests—mer-friends and marine animals alike—swim inside the mer-queen’s castle for a day of fun. The mer-queen invites the partygoers to try on the jewelry from her treasure chest. Then it’s time to make music, dance with dolphins, ride seahorses, and play a game involving tossing rings onto the narwhals’ horns. A fabulous full spread is dedicated to the arrival of an intruding shark, but Murray subverts expectations by revealing that this fearsome-looking underwater predator just wants to join the jamboree. Anyone seeking a more subdued story should look elsewhere—the scenes are unapologetically busy in color, layout, and word choice. The mer-queen’s lavish castle looks like a layered cake festooned with decorations, while the treasure chest bursts with bling. This book delivers on its promise of a fun-filled day—mermaid fans will turn the pages again and again. The mer-friends are diverse in skin tone. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A joyful romp from beginning to end. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 4, 2023
ISBN: 9781728271323
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: April 11, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2023
A wandering effort, happy but pointless.
The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.
Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.
A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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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