A party worth crashing.
The lunch bunch is back—and they’re throwing a party!
It starts as a boring day. Neither Pizza nor Taco knows what to do besides sit. To spice things up, Taco suggests they stand. Standing feels better—until they realize that they’re now “STANDING and doing nothing.” The two anthropomorphic foodstuffs move and jump around to help them “THINK. / THINK. / THINK.” Taco gets a brilliant idea to throw a party. After “AWESOME!” and “YAAAS!” the pair gets to work planning. They make a list of supplies. They decide to host the party at “THE WATER PARK!” They send off invitations to their foodie friends: Cake, Ice Cream, the Chicken Tender twins, Hamburger, Hot Dog, and Cheeseburger. But when they get to the Water Park, they discover that it’s closed: “AHHHHHHHHHH!” Their names are misspelled on their party sign: “AHHHHHHHHHH!” A balloon pops and scares Ice Cream: “AHHHHHHHHHH!” Will anything go according to plan? Shaskan hams it up even more for this second course after Who’s the Best? (2020). Patterned backgrounds reiterate the setting and occasionally form full-page images alongside smaller panels. The low overall panel count (eight or fewer per spread) and repetitive five-chapter structure aid emerging readers in decoding the deliciously fun text. Unfortunately, inconsistent choices about panel borders may confuse some new-to-comics readers. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8.3-by-12-inch double-page spreads viewed at 82% of actual size.)
A party worth crashing. (Graphic early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Jan. 26, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-12334-8
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2020
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 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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