A gratifying, happy-ever-after tale of symbiotic sororal cleverness.
Two resourceful sisters narrowly escape the treacherous Goblin Market.
Drawing inspiration from European fairy tales and Christina Rosetti’s 1859 poem “Goblin Market,” VanSickle introduces readers to impulsive Mina and cautious, bookish Millie. When the goblins come to town, Mina, bored and eager for adventure, ignores the warnings about the market and sneaks off one night as Millie sleeps. Awakening to find Mina gone, Millie studies her books before setting after her. Shadowed by a mysterious wolf who meets her at the market’s gate, Millie searches for Mina. Employing the folkloric motif of threes, VanSickle pits Millie against goblins who offer her sweet apples, eerily enchanting music, and magically scented poppies. Resourceful Millie has brought bread to eat instead and wool to plug her ears. A timely gust of wind prevents the poppy-induced spell. Her search thwarted, Millie decides to return tomorrow, but the goblins demand payment. “Our magic gifts are not for show, / you have to buy before you go. / Otherwise you’re ours to keep.” But Millie soon realizes what has become of her sister—and finds a way to save her. VanSickle’s rhyming couplets scan well, and Eckwall’s red-accented black-and-white pictures and repeating botanical borders evoke classic children’s illustrations. Characters have skin the color of the page.
A gratifying, happy-ever-after tale of symbiotic sororal cleverness. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: July 30, 2024
ISBN: 9780735268562
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An immersive, charming read and convincing proof again that even small bodies can house stout hearts.
Can knightly deeds bring together a feathered odd couple who are on opposite daily schedules?
Having won over a dragon (and millions of fans) in the Caldecott Honor–winning Knight Owl (2022), the fierce yet impossibly cute nocturnal, armor-clad owlet faces a new challenge—sleep deprivation—in the wake of taking on Early Bird, a trainee who rises with the sun and chatters interminably: “I made pancakes! Do you like pancakes? I love pancakes! Where’s the syrup?” It’s enough to test the patience of even the knightliest of owls, and eventually Knight Owl explodes in anger. But although Early Bird is even smaller than her mentor, she turns out to be just as determined to achieve knighthood. After he tells her to leave, she acquits herself so nobly in a climactic encounter with a pack of wolves that she earns a place at the castle. Denise proves a dab hand at depicting genuinely slinky, scary wolves as well as slipping cheerfully anachronistic newspapers and other sight gags into his realistically wrought medieval settings to underscore the tale’s tongue-in-cheek tone. Better yet, a final view of the doughty duo sitting down together to a lavish pancake breakfast/dinner at dusk ends the episode in a sweet rush of syrup and bonhomie.
An immersive, charming read and convincing proof again that even small bodies can house stout hearts. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024
ISBN: 9780316564526
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Christy Ottaviano Books
Review Posted Online: Nov. 5, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2025
This multigenerational snuggle will encourage the sharing of old memories and the creation of new ones.
Hill and Bobbiesi send a humungous hug from grandmothers to their granddaughters everywhere.
Delicate cartoon art adds details to the rhyming text showing multigenerational commonalities. “You and I are alike in such wonderful ways. / You will see more and more as you grow” (as grandmother and granddaughter enjoy the backyard together); “I wobbled uncertainly just as you did / whenever I tried something new” (as a toddler takes first steps); “And if a bad dream woke me up in the night, / I snuggled up with my lovey too” (grandmother kisses granddaughter, who clutches a plush narwhal). Grandmother-granddaughter pairs share everyday joys like eating ice cream, dancing “in the rain,” and making “up silly games.” Although some activities skew stereotypically feminine (baking, yoga), a grandmother helps with a quintessential volcano experiment (this pair presents black, adding valuable STEM representation), another cheers on a young wheelchair athlete (both present Asian), and a third, wearing a hijab, accompanies her brown-skinned granddaughter on a peace march, as it is “important to speak out for what you believe.” The message of unconditional love is clear throughout: “When you need me, I’ll be there to listen and care. / There is nothing that keeps us apart.” The finished book will include “stationery…for a special letter from Grandma to you!”
This multigenerational snuggle will encourage the sharing of old memories and the creation of new ones. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: April 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-7282-0623-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020
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