Debut picture-book pair Brockenbrough and Sanchez are millions of years ahead of their time.
It is tough being a tooth fairy to dinosaurs when all your sources of new material are extinct.
All the Dinosaur Tooth Fairy can do now is flit around the museum and reminisce about the good old days when “the world was hot [and] the teeth were huge.” But one day, a little girl loses her tooth—“PLIK!”—right inside the dinosaur hall. The tiny fairy (who looks a little like a small T-Rex) will do anything to add that tooth to her collection. She just needs to defeat the modern-day machines that get in her way—like the giant, yellow monster with swoopy lashes (the school bus) or the ferocious and frustrating one-eyed doorknobosaurus. And of course, her main rival—the Human Tooth Fairy—isn’t about to let that tooth go without a fight. The tiny, lime green, bulbous dino (complete with ruffled skirt and crown) gets into many amusing scrapes, but she just might end up making a new friend. While the concept is not quite as obvious as the now-familiar dino-train combo, dinosaurs and loose teeth make for a surprisingly fun read. (Ten percent of the author’s royalties will be donated to Kids International Dental Services.)
Debut picture-book pair Brockenbrough and Sanchez are millions of years ahead of their time. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-545-24466-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Levine/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: April 30, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2013
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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