Golden-brown puppy George had his own existential difficulties finding his voice in Feiffer’s last offering (Bark, George!, 1999). This time, a boy named Bobby has an existential emergency of his own when he declares (repeatedly and loudly), “I’m not Bobby!” It’s the old deny-thy-parent-and-refuse-thy-name ruse, not for reasons of a familial feud, but just to get away from a demanding mother’s agenda. Bobby’s mother is always yelling for him, shown in three-inch-tall letters hand-scrawled across the page in thick, black lines. She yells his name, issues vague threats, and enlists the help of other relatives to chase him, but Bobby is busy transforming himself (through his considerable imagination) into commanding animals, monsters, and vehicles, with a running first-person text at the bottom of each page. Bobby’s powerful emotions fairly burst off the page in Feiffer’s edgy watercolors, especially when he turns into a whirling wild thing of a monster. (“A monster comes all right. And it tears you to pieces.”) Eventually, after a fanciful journey in his spaceship, Bobby gets hungry and transforms himself back into a lion with “a Bobby face,” who returns home, where he expects to find dinner and the restoration of his TV privileges by his parents. (“Or I’ll eat them.”) Some adults will object to Bobby’s emotional excesses, and others will object to the mother’s screams and threats, but plenty of youngsters who are wild things at heart will eat this up. (Picture book. 3-6)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-7868-0906-X
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Michael di Capua/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2001
IN THE NEWS
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
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together.
A clueless duckling tries to make a new friend.
He is confused by this peculiar-looking duck, who has a long tail, doesn’t waddle and likes to be alone. No matter how explicitly the creature denies he is a duck and announces that he is a cat, the duckling refuses to acknowledge the facts. When this creature expresses complete lack of interest in playing puddle stomp, the little ducking goes off and plays on his own. But the cat is not without remorse for rejecting an offered friendship. Of course it all ends happily, with the two new friends enjoying each other’s company. Bramsen employs brief sentences and the simplest of rhymes to tell this slight tale. The two heroes are meticulously drawn with endearing, expressive faces and body language, and their feathers and fur appear textured and touchable. Even the detailed tree bark and grass seem three-dimensional. There are single- and double-page spreads, panels surrounded by white space and circular and oval frames, all in a variety of eye-pleasing juxtapositions. While the initial appeal is solidly visual, young readers will get the gentle message that friendship is not something to take for granted but is to be embraced with open arms—or paws and webbed feet.
A sweet, tender and charming experience to read aloud or together. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 22, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-375-86990-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2012
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