While not a first-choice title to deal with jealousy and decision-making, this is a lighthearted foray into the difficulties...
A giraffe who fancies himself king of the zoo fights an uphill battle to maintain his sovereignty and his supply of treats.
Leopold is adored by the zoo-going children and relishes his high position—until one brown-faced child appears with competition in the form of a high-flying giraffe balloon. Giraffe and balloon play a game of one-upmanship until the giraffe appears to be the loser. The balloon does not require a steady supply of snacks, which leads to Leopold sulking with his head in an acacia tree and then exacting explosive revenge against the upstart balloon. The scheme backfires as the kid shows up with a bigger and better version of the balloon in the form of a whole bunch of them. Alas, the kid trips, the kid loses the balloons, and the giraffe faces a moral dilemma. All ends well for the giraffe and his snacks and the boy and his balloons. Parsley’s little tale deals with some serious issues that are treated comically. Her digital artwork emphasizes the heights of the high-necked and high-strung combatants, as does the tall format of the book. Facial features are exaggerated while type resembling hand-drawn lettering advances the drama, occasionally filling a double-spread with explosive action.
While not a first-choice title to deal with jealousy and decision-making, this is a lighthearted foray into the difficulties of zoo life and—more to the point—peer behavior. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 5, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-316-46674-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
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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