A so-so marriage of Christmas, magic, royalty, and fictional animals.
Princess Ava and her pet Pugicorn spend their first Christmas together ushering in magical snow and assisting Santa.
The holiday season has arrived in Fairyland, and Princess Ava is preparing to celebrate her new pet Pugicorn’s very first Christmas. While they have fun celebrating in the days leading up to the holiday, it seems like there will be no snow on Christmas. Thanks to a wish from Pugicorn, the town of Twinkleton-Under-Beanstalk becomes a winter wonderland. When the snow threatens to hide the village from Saint Nick, Pugicorn climbs the town’s decorated tree and uses a magic rainbow beam to alert Santa, saving Christmas. Pugicorn is a cute pup, sure to delight fans of snuggly animals and sparkly unicorns. His rainbow horn and matching tail seem to have walked straight out of a toy store. Princess Ava has brown skin and dark brown hair in a puffy bun, though other than an assumed sibling, all the other characters are white. Twinkleton-Under-Beanstalk is drawn to be every bit as quaint and glittering as readers would imagine it to be. The story is sweet enough, without a lot of substance, matching the ever-present stars and rainbows on nearly every page. That said, there’s no doubt of its appeal to its intended audience of preschoolers already tuned into princesses, unicorns, and puppies.
A so-so marriage of Christmas, magic, royalty, and fictional animals. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2023
ISBN: 9781419766718
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Abrams Appleseed
Review Posted Online: Sept. 7, 2023
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
A laugh-inducing Halloween read-along.
The Crayons return in time for Halloween as vampire-costumed Purple coaches the dressed-up wax pack through its first trick-or-treating venture.
It takes five houses’ worth of door-knocks for this skeleton crew of seven to perfect the protocol, with enough outlandish flubs to generate giggles in Halloween-savvy preschoolers. At Door No. 1, Orange, dressed as a jack-o’-lantern, says, “Give us your candy, Lady.” At the next, the gang, encouraged by Purple to “think holiday,” responds with an impressive array of misguided greetings, including “Merry Christmas!” and “Happy American Cheese Month!” Later, White, levitating impressively in a ghost costume, overreacts to Halloween’s “scary” aspect by overwhelming residents with a “BOO!” Peach, unnamed here but recognizably wrapperless from the initial title, exuberantly (and inappropriately) repeats, “I’m naked!” Finally, the troupe perfects its treat-inducing line, though a certain ghost cannot resist an ad lib. This excursion, like many of the holiday-themed Crayon books, has a smaller trim size, a lower price point, and far less complexity than Daywalt and Jeffers’ first two Crayon titles. Still, the pair deftly let young children in on the jokes through funny, hand-lettered dialogue and the visually telegraphed, all-in haplessness of this well-branded band. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A laugh-inducing Halloween read-along. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-0-593-62102-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Philomel
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2022
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