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UNDER THE GREAT PLUM TREE

Name: UNDER THE GREAT PLUM TREE
Author: Sufiya Ahmed
ISBN: 978-1-910328-46-0

by Sufiya Ahmed ; illustrated by Reza Dalvand ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 7, 2020

An originally designed, gorgeously illustrated new vision of an old tale.

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A kindhearted monkey and an elderly crocodile forge an unlikely bond.

Miss Bandari is a monkey who’s known for her bighearted kindness. One day, while sitting in a plum tree, she meets Mr. Magarmach, an elderly crocodile whose aging body makes it impossible for him to hunt. Hearing him groan with hunger, Miss Bandari throws Mr. Magarmach a sweet plum. Thus begins a friendship between the aged reptile and the sweet simian, who enjoys hearing her new friend’s tales of adventure and bravery. One day, hoping to repay Miss Bandari’s generosity, Mr. Magarmach invites her to lunch. Luckily, on the way, they run into Dame Hati the elephant, who warns Miss Bandari that King Crocodile lives in Mr. Magarmach’s swamp and surely wants to have Miss Bandari for his own lunch! Thanks to Dame Hati’s intervention, Miss Bandari invents a quick lie that saves her life but breaks her heart: After this betrayal, she doesn’t know if she’ll ever trust Mr. Magarmach again. In this innovative reimagining of a classic narrative from the Indian folktale collection known as the Panchatantra, Ahmed and Dalvand develop a cast of quirky, fascinating characters using simple language, innovative text placement, and lavish, intricately detailed illustrations. The exact plot uses the original folktale as a jumping-off point rather than a template, and the twists and turns, both visual and literary, will keep readers old and young engaged.

An originally designed, gorgeously illustrated new vision of an old tale. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: April 7, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-910328-46-0

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Tiny Owl

Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020

Categories:

CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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LOVE FROM THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 15, 2015

Safe to creep on by.

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Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.

In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.

Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021

Categories:

CHILDREN'S HOLIDAYS & CELEBRATIONS | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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edited by Eric Carle

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edited by Eric Carle

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by Eric Carle ; illustrated by Eric Carle

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IT'S NOT EASY BEING A GHOST

From the It's Not Easy Being series

by Marilyn Sadler ; illustrated by Stephanie Laberis ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 13, 2024

Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.

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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)