An enjoyable, if well-trod, adventure.
A grocery list left on the table subtly foreshadows a nighttime quest for comestibles.
It’s dinnertime, and like so many kids, Sir Julian, a tan-skinned child, is not impressed with his mom’s experimental cooking, opting to feed it to the dog. Predictably, this leads to the need for snacks. Sir Julian’s evening—beginning with his supper, which smells “like dragon’s ooze”—mimics a hero’s journey as he vanquishes foes and fears, among them the dreaded potty monster, on the way to his final destination: the kitchen. To his horror, he discovers that the family is out of snacks, rendering his perilous journey moot—or is it? For when Sir Julian, left with no other options, tries the dreadful dinner, he finds it…not bad. Perhaps the real quest is being open to trying new things. Food avoidance, bathroom fears, and nighttime worry are familiar and welcome themes in picture books, and this one, though a bit predictable, is no exception. Digital art effectively depicts Sir Julian’s wide range of emotions, from trepidation to terror to triumph, but feels a bit artificial. Adult readers assessing (among other things) how loud this nighttime journey must have been may wonder where the grown-ups in this book are, but kids will enjoy comic nods like the overly dramatic depiction of the unfamiliar—and therefore—monstrous dinner. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An enjoyable, if well-trod, adventure. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Oct. 3, 2023
ISBN: 9780316456340
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Jimmy Patterson/Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
Safe to creep on by.
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
BOOK REVIEW
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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