Though well-meaning, Knowlton’s tale is a beastly explanation of equivalency.
Mariah has only an hour to make a cake for the monsters’ arrival; will Brendan’s advice about equivalent measurements help her or slow her down?
Readers are sure to empathize as Mariah works to throw all the ingredients together and is constantly met with Brendan’s tips about equivalency. His help often feels more like he’s hitting her over the head with information (rather gleefully, at that) when she’s already overwhelmed. As Mariah says, “Grrrr….This is too much.” Readers will likely feel the same. This is neither a good introduction to equivalency nor a reinforcement of the concept. Only once does Brendan encourage her to fully understand that, say, four ¼ cups are equal to one cup—otherwise it’s a litany of Brendan’s assertions against Mariah’s protests. And the informative backmatter is limited to a half-page encouraging readers to use measuring cups and rice or water to experiment with equivalency. Jensen’s illustrations are appropriately monster-ish, from the creepy ingredients to the small details amid an otherwise ordinary-seeming kitchen. Mariah and Brendan are monsters themselves: she is pink with long floppy ears and a unicorn horn, and he is blue with five eyes on stalks on the top of his head. A recipe for monster cake follows the tale, though readers should not expect to pull a perfectly decorated layer cake out of the oven as Mariah does.
Though well-meaning, Knowlton’s tale is a beastly explanation of equivalency. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4556-2377-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Pelican
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
This seemingly simple tale packs a satisfying emotional punch. Scarily good! (Picture book. 4-7)
Monster lives in Cutesville, where he feels his googly eyes make him unlovable, especially compared to all the “cute, fluffy” kittens, puppies and bunnies. He goes off to find someone who will appreciate him just the way he is…with funny and heartwarming results.
A red, scraggly, pointy-eared, arm-dragging monster with a pronounced underbite clutches his monster doll to one side of his chest, exposing a purplish blue heart on the other. His oversized eyes express his loneliness. Bright could not have created a more sympathetic and adorable character. But she further impresses with the telling of this poor chap’s journey. Since Monster is not the “moping-around sort,” he strikes out on his own to find someone who will love him. “He look[s] high” from on top of a hill, and “he look[s] low” at the bottom of the same hill. The page turn reveals a rolling (and labeled) tumbleweed on a flat stretch. Here “he look[s] middle-ish.” Careful pacing combines with dramatic design and the deadpan text to make this sad search a very funny one. When it gets dark and scary, he decides to head back home. A bus’s headlights shine on his bent figure. All seems hopeless—until the next page surprises, with a smiling, orange monster with long eyelashes and a pink heart on her chest depicted at the wheel. And “in the blink of a googly eye / everything change[s].”
This seemingly simple tale packs a satisfying emotional punch. Scarily good! (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Dec. 31, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-374-34646-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2013
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