“How complicated could dishonesty be?” In this lesson-filled story, a boy finds out the answer. Alex (eight-years old) finds a balloon floating in the air right in front of him; attached to the string is a stuffed mouse sporting a red vest. Before he can figure out why, he is smitten with the little guy and names him Reggie. So attached is Alex that he tears down the stapled signs that offer a $5.00 reward for the return of the mouse and deceives his parents about the fact that someone is looking for it. Even when faced with the crying owner and the disapproval of his best friend, herefuses to do the right thing. Only when his own dog disappears does Alex realize what he must do. Despite Burkett’s rich, atmospheric pen-and-ink illustrations and the comfortable large font, it’s hard to see who will enjoy this moralistic and unbelievable tale. As hard as it is to see a third-grader attaching himself to someone else’s stuffed doll, it is impossible to accept that this sweet boy would keep it, especially in the face of a reward and a bawling little girl. (Fiction. 6-9)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-8126-2746-6
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Cricket
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2006
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
The wriggly narrator of Diary of a Worm (2003) puts in occasional appearances, but it’s his arachnid buddy who takes center stage here, with terse, tongue-in-cheek comments on his likes (his close friend Fly, Charlotte’s Web), his dislikes (vacuums, people with big feet), nervous encounters with a huge Daddy Longlegs, his extended family—which includes a Grandpa more than willing to share hard-won wisdom (The secret to a long, happy life: “Never fall asleep in a shoe.”)—and mishaps both at spider school and on the human playground. Bliss endows his garden-dwellers with faces and the odd hat or other accessory, and creates cozy webs or burrows colorfully decorated with corks, scraps, plastic toys and other human detritus. Spider closes with the notion that we could all get along, “just like me and Fly,” if we but got to know one another. Once again, brilliantly hilarious. (Picture book. 6-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2005
ISBN: 0-06-000153-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Joanna Cotler/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2005
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