Friendship on the ice: fraught with danger but funny and fulfilling in the end.
It’s a face-off on the ice for a trio of performing penguins and a large, hungry, white seal.
A penguin sporting a jauntily angled red hat and bright green bow tie is in search of his “new best friend” who is a “spectacular dancer!” The first penguin he encounters sings, and the second one toots a horn. Searching on, he comes face to face with a toothy seal, who has visions of a tasty roast. In utter despair, and also facing his imminent demise, the penguin finds able-bodied assistance from his singing and tooting fellows. Their performances are more noise irritant than music-hall fodder, but the seal finds it necessary to cover his ears, and the soon-to-be dinner penguin escapes into the welcome company of two new buddies. Oh, and he also finds the dancing friend—a visual twist that will set readers giggling. Proimos’ animals, outlined in solid black, have bright yellow googly eyes, big orange beaks, and tower over the pages with their brash and bold attitudes. This humorous adventure zooms along in snappy dialogue that is barely contained in large, colorful speech bubbles. A delightful refrain of “Waddle. Waddle. Belly Slide!” will have children chanting or, more likely, shouting along.
Friendship on the ice: fraught with danger but funny and fulfilling in the end. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Nov. 29, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-545-41846-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2015
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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