A joyful, silly tale for the adventurer, boy or girl, young or old: medieval mayhem at its best.
Two chefs solve one big mystery (albeit too late!) in this humorous spoof on the knight-and-dragon tale.
It’s mealtime, but where is Harold? Two cooks wonder about their knightly friend—but readers are in the know. He was last seen racing across the title page, searching for the loo. So onward the pair go until: “Holy haddock!” There’s a sword in the stove. Who could’ve put it there? Pirates? The absurdity builds (and so do the laughs) as the oven yields additional items. The pumpkin-headed chefs, like a classic comedy duo, play off each other, channeling Laurel and Hardy in both physique and demeanor; the author juxtaposes their differences to maximum effect. When the two agree the sword is Harold’s and his fate a dire one, a fiery whoosh interrupts the question of who would do such a thing. A hungry (and adorable-looking) dragon ready for dessert, that’s who! Young readers need not fear, as the last page reveals the chefs and Harold still alive, with a giggle-inducing punch line. Dormer’s illustrations fuel the text with their spontaneity and engaging compositions. His primitive watercolor shapes, expressive pencil marks, and clever use of a limited, warm palette reveal a sophisticated control of the medium. Through both text and art, he offers something for everyone (pirates! Vikings! inventive expletives! silliness!). Brilliantly designed down to a typeface that alludes to the story’s legendary associations, this book establishes itself as thoroughly modern.
A joyful, silly tale for the adventurer, boy or girl, young or old: medieval mayhem at its best. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 17, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-3167-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Atheneum
Review Posted Online: March 15, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Like the last sip of a chocolate milkshake, it’s very satisfying.
A story-reading dragon—what’s not to like?
Duncan the Dragon loves to read. But the stories so excite him, his imagination catches fire—and so do his books, leaving him wondering about the endings. Does the captain save the ship? Do aliens conquer the Earth? Desperate to reach the all-important words “The End” (“like the last sip of a chocolate milk shake”), he tries reading in the refrigerator, in front of a bank of electric fans, and even in a bathtub filled with ice. Nothing works. He decides to ask a friend to read to him, but the raccoon, possum, and bull all refuse. Weeping, Duncan is ready to give up, but one of his draconic tears runs “split-splat into a mouse,” a book-loving mouse! Together they battle sea monsters, dodge icebergs, and discover new lands, giving rise to a fast friendship. Driscoll’s friendly illustrations are pencil sketches painted in Adobe Photoshop; she varies full-bleed paintings with vignettes surrounded by white space, imaginary scenes rendered in monochrome to set them apart. Duncan himself is green, winged, and scaly, but his snout is unthreateningly bovine, and he wears red sneakers with his shoelaces untied—a nicely vulnerable touch. Though there are lots of unusual friendship stories in picture books, the vivid colors, expressive faces, and comic details make this one likely to be a storytime hit.
Like the last sip of a chocolate milkshake, it’s very satisfying. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-385-75507-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Fairy fodder, nothing more.
A brand-new fairy godmother tests her skills on a group of children determined to catch her.
The latest installment in the popular How To Catch series follows the protagonist as she leaves Fairy Godmother Land as a recent grad who’s nervous about her first job (“I should know how to do this, / but all I feel is stress. / Chosen for these children, / I don’t want to be a hot mess”). As she observes the children she’s been tasked with helping, they spot her and decide to catch her for show and tell. Though they set several traps, including a “selfie with a unicorn” station, she evades capture, leaving behind a snapshot as a gift. Readers never see the fairy godmother’s face until the final page reveals her photo—an effective way to keep kids wondering. While the moral of the story—trying new things is scary but worth it—is an important one, the plot is a bit thin. Sure, the fairy godmother “helps” the children by leaving them with a photo of her, but that feels almost like a happy accident; readers never find out why she was “chosen” for these children. Fans of the series who adore all things magical will enjoy this title, but those seeking an engaging tale should look elsewhere. The fairy godmother presents Black, while the children are racially diverse.
Fairy fodder, nothing more. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: July 9, 2024
ISBN: 9781728293004
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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