A tasty holiday confection.
Actor Witherspoon’s latest sees her exuberant young hero returning to celebrate the holidays.
Realizing that it’s nearly Christmas, Busy Betty launches into a brainstorming whirlwind; Betty wants to buy the perfect gifts but lacks the necessary funds. Last summer, Betty and best friend Mae had good luck running a lemonade stand, so the kids start a Christmas cookie stand. But chilly temperatures keep prospective customers away even after Betty and Mae sing loud, creative Christmas carols to get people’s attention and build snowpeople to create the illusion of customers. When Betty’s dog, Frank, accidentally crashes the stand and ruins the beautiful treats, a distraught Betty is sure that “Christmas is ruined!” But upon discovering one intact cookie, Betty has a great idea and dashes to the kitchen to whip up some perfect presents. On Christmas morning, Betty’s homemade gifts are scrumptious and tailor-made for their recipients—a holiday success! Though the story is slightly predictable, Betty’s inimitable voice (“Sweet cinnamon biscuits, it’s Christmas!”) sets it apart; Witherspoon ably captures the emotional extremes that young children often grapple with. Yan’s illustrations effectively portray the steps of Betty’s journey, using a vivid palette of greens and pinks and a dynamic use of perspective to keep wiggly young readers entranced. An appended recipe for cookie bars encourages readers to follow Betty’s worthy example. Busy Betty presents white; Mae is tan-skinned with dark hair.
A tasty holiday confection. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9780593525159
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Flamingo Books
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of...
Rabe follows a young girl through her first 12 days of kindergarten in this book based on the familiar Christmas carol.
The typical firsts of school are here: riding the bus, making friends, sliding on the playground slide, counting, sorting shapes, laughing at lunch, painting, singing, reading, running, jumping rope, and going on a field trip. While the days are given ordinal numbers, the song skips the cardinal numbers in the verses, and the rhythm is sometimes off: “On the second day of kindergarten / I thought it was so cool / making lots of friends / and riding the bus to my school!” The narrator is a white brunette who wears either a tunic or a dress each day, making her pretty easy to differentiate from her classmates, a nice mix in terms of race; two students even sport glasses. The children in the ink, paint, and collage digital spreads show a variety of emotions, but most are happy to be at school, and the surroundings will be familiar to those who have made an orientation visit to their own schools.
While this is a fairly bland treatment compared to Deborah Lee Rose and Carey Armstrong-Ellis’ The Twelve Days of Kindergarten (2003), it basically gets the job done. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: June 21, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-06-234834-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 3, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
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
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