Marvelously exemplifies the diversity of American holiday traditions and offers a more nuanced understanding of Thanksgiving.
This table has room for everyone.
Keenly aware that Thanksgiving is often associated with inaccurate portrayals of Indigenous peoples, Hulse and Goodnight (Chickasaw Nation) have created a loving, inclusive depiction of the holiday. Spare yet lyrical verse invites readers to take a seat at a table alongside a diverse group of characters who eat, ponder, and express gratitude for all they’ve been given. Hulse employs sensory-rich imagery to describe the autumnal season (“a fresh tablecloth, / crisp and gold like this day”), the various mouthwatering foods, and those who work tirelessly at planting and harvesting to make the Thanksgiving meal possible. The repeated phrase “At our table there is room” allows readers to linger on small details that make the holiday special (“swapping stories, / second helpings, and favorite jokes”). Hulse and Goodnight also emphasize respect and honor for Indigenous peoples. In one illustration, a group of people reverently stand before a statue of beloved Wampanoag chief Ousamequin, while Hulse speaks of the importance of making “room to learn from / the first farmers / and builders / and knowledge-gatherers.” Goodnight’s visuals turn solemn and stately here, though in general her images brim with warmth, suffused with an inner glow. Hope and thankfulness resonate throughout as loved ones eat, laugh, share stories, and create lasting memories.
Marvelously exemplifies the diversity of American holiday traditions and offers a more nuanced understanding of Thanksgiving. (author’s and illustrator’s notes) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Oct. 8, 2024
ISBN: 9780316537056
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2024
Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
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