Persistence makes a difference in this understated charmer.
Waking up early to a loud noise, Sam is quite indignant.
The alarm clock reads 6:30, and the White boy wearing a hat with a pompom and his small brown dog sporting a scarf are both startled from sleep by “SHRIEK SHRIEK” (printed in a scratchy, faux handprinted display type). He spots a blue, white, and black bird in a tree. The bird plagues the boy each day. Sam shoots water from the hose at the bothersome bird, clangs the metal garbage can, and posts a picture of a predator owl. No parent appears, but a friendly man (also White) offers some advice from over the hedge: “Have you tried to make friends with the bird?…Magpies can be very smart, you know.” Sam gets an idea from his dog. Maybe he can teach the bird to let him sleep. He sets up a chalkboard with stick figure drawings and lectures the bird. Kids will want to interpret the drawings and point out the magpie watching carefully from a tree stump nearby; the dog, a squirrel, and other birds all pay close attention too. Finally Sam’s hard work pays off. The “smart” magpie surprises Sam, as the bird learns some human words (as magpies can) and one morning cheerily substitutes “WAKE UP WAKE UP”—albeit still at sunrise. Pleasingly naïve illustrations of a rural town accompany the smooth translation in this Dutch and Flemish import. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11.4-by-16.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 35.2% of actual size.)
Persistence makes a difference in this understated charmer. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: May 11, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-60537-591-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clavis
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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