Weston’s piggy siblings, Tuck and Bunny (Tuck in the Pool, 1995), finally return for a humorous Halloween escapade. Tuck decides to transform his family garage into a Haunted House for his friends. For maximum chills, the young pig arranges a maze of scary exhibits to titillate his visitors. In the midst of preparing the Ancient Mummy, Tuck’s Tunnel of Doom, and the Icky Drippy Forest, the irrepressible Bunny (who insists on helping) interrupts him. However, Bunny’s extravagant exuberance irritates Tuck, who, in pursuit of perfection, refuses Bunny’s assistance and banishes her to the corner. When his friends arrive, Tuck promptly forgets about the now-sleeping Bunny, who awakens from her slumber to give the party its most hair-raising and hilarious moments. Weston blends just the right amount of thrills and humor into this lighthearted tale. Observation of Tuck’s preparations allows readers to experience the excitement of the haunted house without the fright, revealing such mysteries as Ghouls’ Eyeballs—peeled grapes—and the Cauldron of Worms with Evil Monster Baby—Bunny’s doll stuffed in a pot of noodles. The droll watercolor-and-pencil illustrations further dispel any lingering anxieties, providing clues for the savvy reader as to the identity of the shrieking waif who startles Tuck and friends. Slapstick comedy on scale for pint-sized readers, fans will rejoice in this follow-up tale featuring the zany antics of this inimitable piglet pair. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2002
ISBN: 0-618-15966-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet notion that falls flat.
A hit song reimagined as a book about parental love.
Featured in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part 1, Perri’s “A Thousand Years” deals with the speaker’s fear of romantic love. In picture-book form, it explores a parent’s unwavering love for a child, who grows from an infant into a toddler over the course of the narrative. The caregiver expresses awe when the youngster learns to stand and fear that the child might fall while beginning to walk. “I have spent every day waiting for you,” the parent says. “Darling, don’t be afraid.” What the child might fear isn’t clear from the joyful balloon- and rainbow-filled illustrations. The story borders on cloying, and words that might work when sung and accompanied by music don’t sound fresh on the page: “Time goes by. / You grow ever stronger as you fly.” The refrain, however, is a lovely sentiment: “I have loved you for a thousand years. / I’ll love you for a thousand more.” Perri’s legion of fans may flock to this version, illustrated by Ruiz with sparkling stars, bubbles, and big-eyed toddlers, but it doesn’t hold together as a narrative or an ode, as it’s billed, and it’s a long way from the original song. The child is tan-skinned, the parent is lighter-skinned, and other characters are diverse.
A sweet notion that falls flat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780593622599
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2025
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