A clever, laugh-out-loud story for a broad audience.
A young ninja seeks a worthy opponent, but his family is too busy to play.
Chung (Ninja!, 2014) returns with a second comic-book–style tale about lovable, freckle-faced ninja Maxwell. Ready to tackle a challenger, Maxwell seeks an adversary in one of his family members. His mother is preparing dinner. His younger sister, Cassy, would rather play with her blocks. His father absentmindedly agrees to play hide-and-seek with him but forgets to look for Maxwell. Frustrated and bored, Maxwell meditates to find inner peace—unsuccessfully. When his mother calls him to dinner, he discovers an abandoned meal and his family hiding in wings. Three surprise attacks result in three epic battles—and one worthy opponent. Chung’s modern family is Asian and white, and their dinner consists of miso soup and sushi rolls. His vibrant illustrations are playful and action-packed. The background colors of each panel reflect Maxwell’s changing emotions: bright reds and yellows for excitement; browns for boredom; and grays for frustration. Readers should study Chung’s illustrations closely for small details that add even more depth to his story. Maxwell’s father is distracted because he’s working on his taxes; Cassy’s careful structure falls after her brother walks away. Readers will happily creep, meditate, and spar along with ninja Maxwell.
A clever, laugh-out-loud story for a broad audience. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: June 7, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8050-9916-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2016
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A fresh, melodic take on family harmony.
Rock legends, husband-and-wife team, and proud grandparents Benatar and Giraldo present an upbeat ode to families.
A youngster with long blond hair confides conspiratorially, “This might come as a bit of a shock, // but my grandma and grandpa…ROCK!” The silver-haired duo—who resemble the co-authors—jam out in a practice space; Grandpa strums an electric guitar, while Grandma belts out a tune, microphone in hand. (All three are pale-skinned.) Jagged star strokes burst from the amps, reverberating across the page. As the young narrator sings the praises of these hip, artistically minded grandparents, the illustrations depict many varied, diverse families making music. One grandparent strums a ukulele, another prefers the drums, and an especially eclectic granny croons everything from lullabies to Led Zeppelin while cooking. There’s no wrong way to share joy with grandparents. Benatar and Giraldo acknowledge that you don’t have to be a musician to rock (“Anyone can rock! / It’s a state of mind, / like feeling happy or being kind”) as they speak to other passions and occupations (“They can be a plumber, a chef, a pilot, a teacher”). One spread showcases other names for grandparents, both colloquial and cultural, presented without disrupting the text’s rhythm. As expected, this pair lays down a steady beat with a smooth flow. Everett’s energetic art, with musical swooshes and swirls, buoys the text.
A fresh, melodic take on family harmony. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Sept. 9, 2025
ISBN: 9781728298023
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
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