Parents and educators may frown at the messy choices made here, but budding artists and those who have ever felt...
A pointed finger sends a boy to a “time out” and into a colorful world he creates with crayons and his overactive imagination.
Reidy lets the text come from the punished protagonist: “There’s a corner in my house that needs some fixing up… / Mom says it’s fine, but I know better. I spend a lot of time there.” The boy begins drawing and daydreaming in an infectious, rambling way. Each good idea leads to a bigger, better and more elaborate one. Neubecker increasingly fills the spreads with brightly colored, boldly outlined pictures inspired by the rapid-fire narration. A window leads to flowers, and then additions of dinosaurs, a monster, a monster truck, a truck loaded with ice cream and on and on, until his vivid thoughts completely fill a double gatefold. But readers soon discover that his thoughts are real drawings that make up an elaborate mural over the walls near his corner, which he must now clean up. Readers will relate to the main character’s boredom and spunky reaction. Like Max with his Wild Things, this boy takes control in his own age-appropriate way.
Parents and educators may frown at the messy choices made here, but budding artists and those who have ever felt misunderstood will cheer on this “time out” king. Purple footprints leading off the final page point to further creative pursuits. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 31, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4231-3127-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Egg-stra special.
The creators of Pick a Pine Tree (2017) and Pick a Pumpkin (2019) cover each step of a popular Easter tradition.
The first stop for a light-skinned caregiver and child is the farm. Peering into the henhouse, they spot an egg (reminding readers that eggs don’t originate at the grocery store). More eggs are collected throughout the spring countryside and brought home, ready to hard boil. While the eggs are cooling, it’s time to prepare the dye! The lively text highlights natural methods first (“Stew some plants / to make a brew: / beets turn eggs / a rosy hue. / Spinach? Green! / Berries? Blue! / Try some herbs / or spices, too”) but also gives a nod to store-bought kits. After a full day of egg decorating, the youngster wakes up the next morning for a festive neighborhood egg hunt. Happily, treats found inside plastic eggs are not limited to sugar only; they include secret notes, tiny toys, and coins, too. (The child adds their dyed eggs to this bounty.) Sprays of bright greens, a shining sun, and dotted buds on trees as well as pastel bunting and fuzzy bunny ears and flower crowns on little ones bring a light, airy lift to this joyful community gathering. The children involved in the egg hunt are diverse in skin tone. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Egg-stra special. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Feb. 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5362-2847-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 15, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2022
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