An empathetic tale that speaks to the complex feelings inherent to undergoing big change.
After a Punjabi family moves from their village to a big city, its youngest member worries that the upcoming Vaisakhi celebration won’t be the same.
The unnamed child, who narrates, loved the harvest festival; it was an opportunity to dance, feast, exchange stories, and bond with relatives. But the family’s new home feels worlds away from their old one: “No green fields. No pet goats. No Nani’s breakfast paronthas.” (Though the author doesn’t state where they’ve moved to, images of cardinals and Canada geese suggest a North American setting.) As the holiday approaches, the youngster wonders: “How will we celebrate here in our new home?” To the protagonist’s surprise, the local gurdwara, or Sikh place of worship, hosts a Vaisakhi celebration featuring music and foods that echo the youngster’s memories of home. Things aren’t exactly the same; the child longs for Punjab, with its “fields filled with yellow flowers,” and the aloo paronthas at the gurdwara are “delicious but not as good as Nani’s.” Still, the youngster feels hopeful about a new life full of joy and laughter. This tender story encapsulates the conflicting emotions that often accompany a move; Singh encourages readers to embrace change while acknowledging the inevitable feelings of grief. Though the hectic illustrations sometimes make it difficult to discern details, they capture the loving chaos of the protagonist’s old and new lives.
An empathetic tale that speaks to the complex feelings inherent to undergoing big change. (author’s note) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 18, 2025
ISBN: 9780593859087
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Kokila
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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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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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