This fun little book with a big message is perfect for little readers.
For the little superheroes among us who need a gentle reminder that apologizing can save the day.
SuperJoe is an energetic, brown-skinned boy with dark locs who is up early for a big adventure. As SuperJoe imagines himself confronting invading aliens, he accidentally breaks his mom’s favorite mug. When Dad asks SuperJoe to apologize, SuperJoe exclaims, “Superheroes don’t say sorry—they’re much too busy!” With his mess behind him, SuperJoe is off to his next escapade—rescuing a ship from a giant squid. Fearless Joe ties the tentacles in knots but leaves puddles on the bathroom floor for his dad to mop up. Who has time to clean when there’s a dinosaur on the loose?! SuperJoe’s enormous roar scares away the beast—and wakes up his baby sister. Though he again refuses to apologize, he can’t hear any more of his superassignments because his baby sister is crying. He starts to feel awful and does something out of character. He goes into his sister’s room, softly strokes his sister’s cheek, and says sorry—a small act of compassion that inspires SuperJoe to pick up his toys, mop up his messes, and even fix his mom’s favorite mug. The story is sweet, with a sound though never heavy-handed lesson. Filled with movement, Proctor’s vibrant, digitally colored pencil illustrations leap off the page. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
This fun little book with a big message is perfect for little readers. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-913747-96-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Lantana
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A retro-futuristic romp, literally and figuratively screwy.
Robo-parents Diode and Lugnut present daughter Cathode with a new little brother—who requires, unfortunately, some assembly.
Arriving in pieces from some mechanistic version of Ikea, little Flange turns out to be a cute but complicated tyke who immediately falls apart…and then rockets uncontrollably about the room after an overconfident uncle tinkers with his basic design. As a squad of helpline techies and bevies of neighbors bearing sludge cake and like treats roll in, the cluttered and increasingly crowded scene deteriorates into madcap chaos—until at last Cath, with help from Roomba-like robodog Sprocket, stages an intervention by whisking the hapless new arrival off to a backyard workshop for a proper assembly and software update. “You’re such a good big sister!” warbles her frazzled mom. Wiesner’s robots display his characteristic clean lines and even hues but endearingly look like vaguely anthropomorphic piles of random jet-engine parts and old vacuum cleaners loosely connected by joints of armored cable. They roll hither and thither through neatly squared-off panels and pages in infectiously comical dismay. Even the end’s domestic tranquility lasts only until Cathode spots the little box buried in the bigger one’s packing material: “TWINS!” (This book was reviewed digitally with 9-by-22-inch double-page spreads viewed at 52% of actual size.)
A retro-futuristic romp, literally and figuratively screwy. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-544-98731-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: June 2, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2020
Totes adorbs.
A cuddly, squishy pug’s puggy-wuggy diary.
Equipped with both #pugunicorn and #pughotdog outfits, pug Baron von Bubbles (aka Bub) is the kind of dog that always dresses to impress. Bub also makes lots of memorable faces, such as the “Hey, you’re not the boss of me!” expression aimed at Duchess, the snooty pink house cat. Some of Bub’s favorite things include skateboarding, a favorite teddy, and eating peanut butter. Bub also loves Bella, who adopted Bub from a fair—it was “love at first sniff.” Together, Bub and Bella do a lot of arts and crafts. Their latest project: entering Bella’s school’s inventor challenge by making a super-duper awesome rocket. But, when the pesky neighborhood squirrel, Nutz, makes off with Bub’s bear, Bub accidentally ruins their project. How will they win the contest? More importantly, how will Bella ever forgive him? May’s cutesy, full-color cartoon art sets the tone for this pug-tastic romp for the new-to–chapter-books crowd. Emojilike faces accentuate Bub’s already expressive character design. Bub’s infectious first-person narration pushes the silly factor off the charts. In addition to creating the look and feel of a diary, the lined paper helps readers follow the eight-chapter story. Most pages have fewer than five sentences, often broken into smaller sections. Additional text appears in color-coded speech bubbles. Bella presents white.
Totes adorbs. (Fiction. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-53003-2
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
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