A pretty unsympathetic view of a growing and worrisome phenomenon.
A family of polar bears searches for a home.
As bear cubs Masha and Misha walk on hind legs, and their similarly upright Papa and Mama wear jewelry and other occasional items of dress, it’s easy to see them as climate change refugees—and indeed, it’s lack of food that prompts Papa’s announcement that it’s time to move. First stop: a trove of dumpsters. From there it’s on to some rooms in the oddly “square icebergs,” where everything is, as Mama puts it, “just right.” Oleynikov picks up the jocular tone nicely as he depicts the furry foursome making themselves cozy while ransacking a hastily abandoned apartment and (failing to notice fleeing light-skinned human figures) wondering where everyone has gone. Then, when at last loneliness and a general lack of substantial prey prompt thoughts of searching for a better home, glimpses on TV of Antarctic seals and penguins (“And what are those little black things?” “I don’t know….But they look tasty”) lead the ursine clan to continue on, carrying dolls, blankets, and other loot from the wreckage. Though the bears are the victims of global warming, they’re portrayed as clueless agents of destruction; it’s hard to tell whether this tongue-in-cheek tale, originally published in Chinese, is deliberately meant to leave readers with mixed feelings or is just tone-deaf. In either case the themes should inspire some discussion, and the spectacular messes on display in the pictures will invite a chuckle or two. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A pretty unsympathetic view of a growing and worrisome phenomenon. (Picture book. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 12, 2023
ISBN: 9781771649810
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Greystone Kids
Review Posted Online: June 8, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2023
Extraordinary introductory terror, beautiful to the eye and sure to delight younger horror enthusiasts.
What terrors lurk within your mouth? Jasper Rabbit knows.
“You have stumbled your way into the unknown.” The young bunny introduced in Reynolds and Brown’s Caldecott Honor–winning picture book, Creepy Carrots (2012), takes up Rod Serling’s mantle, and the fit is perfect. Mimicking an episode of The Twilight Zone, the book follows Charlie Marmot, an average kid with a penchant for the strange and unusual. He’s pleased when his tonsils become infected; maybe once they’re out he can take them to school for show and tell! That’s when bizarre things start to happen: Noises in the night. Slimy trails on his bedroom floor. And when Charlie goes in for his surgery, he’s told that the tonsils have disappeared from his throat; clearly something sinister is afoot. Those not yet ready for Goosebumps levels of horror will find this a welcome starter pack. Reynolds has perfected the tension he employed in his Creepy Tales! series, and partner in crime Brown imbues each illustration with both humor and a delicate undercurrent of dark foreshadowing. While the fleshy pink tonsils—the sole spot of color in this black-and-white world—aren’t outrageously gross, there’s something distinctly disgusting about them. And though the book stars cute, furry woodland creatures, the spooky surprise ending is 100% otherworldly—a marvelous moment of twisted logic.
Extraordinary introductory terror, beautiful to the eye and sure to delight younger horror enthusiasts. (Early chapter book. 6-9)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9781665961080
Page Count: 88
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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