A cheery though scattered invitation to appreciate the calendar year.
A family makes the most of every day of the year through big and small celebrations.
Several days after turning 5, Winnie can’t wait until her next birthday, but there are 362 days until then. So her mother comes up with a way to encourage Winnie to appreciate the days in between birthdays. “Happy National Popcorn Day!” Winnie’s mom declares on Jan. 19. The pair share the same high energy throughout the yearlong celebration of holidays. The ambitious project is lovingly designed to stretch from Winnie’s fifth to sixth birthdays, which could be inspiring to some caregivers or enough to make some feel like underperformers at large. Though the tone is upbeat, the selection of holidays seems random. Silly, sweet festivities like Send a Card to a Friend Day (Feb. 7) and Kick Butt Day (the second Monday in October) dominate, though Patriot’s Day, Veterans Day, and Independence Day are also part of the mix, along with Lunar New Year and Passover, celebrated with, respectively, Winnie’s classmates and her neighbors. Mexican, Polish, Chinese, Japanese, Spanish, and Indian cuisines are shared during various food appreciation days, though Black culture and celebrations aren’t acknowledged. The busy art, in a warm, bright color scheme, is effective, with a blend of vignettes and full-page images. Winnie and her family are brown-skinned; her community is a diverse one. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A cheery though scattered invitation to appreciate the calendar year. (list of included holidays) (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Jan. 3, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-7624-7818-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Running Press Kids
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
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
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