This sweet and silly story is about friendship and making the best of what you’ve got.
A modern twist on “The Gingerbread Man,” with Fox chasing the Sugar Cookie Man through Christmastown.
The Land of Holiday Treats is peopled with smiling cupcakes, cookies, and other sweets that bustle through the festive town. The action begins when out of the Christmastown bakery flies a very cute cookie past Fox, saying “Run, run, as fast as you can! / You can’t catch me—I’m the Sugar Cookie Man!” Fox gives chase and catches up to him quickly only to discover, to the surprise of them both, that the Sugar Cookie Man isn’t sweet at all—instead, he’s a terrible-tasting, tough cookie. Fox tries to cheer the distraught baked good up with “sugary sweet Christmas carols” and by sprinkling him with sugar, to no avail. It turns out that the Sugar Cookie Man is actually a tree ornament and not meant for eating. In tone and style, this book is reminiscent of Lane Smith and Jon Scieszka’s fairy-tale retellings, though with less wisecracking. The fun is in the size of the round-eyed characters, the icinglike pastel colors, the layout and pacing of the storyline on the page, and the variety of candy and cookie characters, all smiling away. The author, a grandson of Ernest Hemingway, provides recipes for tough cookies (edible) and tough cookie ornaments (nonedible).
This sweet and silly story is about friendship and making the best of what you’ve got. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 11, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-62779-441-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano/Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: Aug. 19, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
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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