These cuddly monsters may be a little clichéd, but they get the narrative job done. Maybe they’re just that persistent.
A group of not-very-scary monsters tries very hard to make friends with kids, which is exactly as problematic as one might expect.
In this companion book to the previous The Problem with Not Being Scared of Monsters (2014), the story is told from the point of view of the beasties. Led by an unnamed tentacled blue monster with yellow polka dots, the creatures try very hard to ingratiate themselves to the elementary school set. But, not surprisingly, “sleepovers end early,” and “always being ‘it’ gets old.” The text is largely a list of idea setups that the monsters play out, but the illustrations deliver the punch lines, such as the moment when “holidays get personal”: a group of kids wears Halloween masks identical to the faces of the embarrassed monsters. Awkward! The try-hard monster gang is endearing, eventually breaking through to one boy who stops being scared and starts being friendly. But never answered is why the monsters try so desperately to connect with kids when they already have one another as playmates. Nevertheless, there are witty moments (such as a list of self-help book covers including Pals for Poltergeists) and a sweet last page.
These cuddly monsters may be a little clichéd, but they get the narrative job done. Maybe they’re just that persistent. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-62979-102-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Boyds Mills
Review Posted Online: June 5, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2015
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Chilling in the best ways.
When a young rabbit who’s struggling in school finds a helpful crayon, everything is suddenly perfect—until it isn’t.
Jasper is flunking everything except art and is desperate for help when he finds the crayon. “Purple. Pointy…perfect”—and alive. When Jasper watches TV instead of studying, he misspells every word on his spelling test, but the crayon seems to know the answers, and when he uses the crayon to write, he can spell them all. When he faces a math quiz after skipping his homework, the crayon aces it for him. Jasper is only a little creeped out until the crayon changes his art—the one area where Jasper excels—into something better. As guilt-ridden Jasper receives accolade after accolade for grades and work that aren’t his, the crayon becomes more and more possessive of Jasper’s attention and affection, and it is only when Jasper cannot take it anymore that he discovers just what he’s gotten himself into. Reynolds’ text might as well be a Rod Serling monologue for its perfectly paced foreboding and unsettling tension, both gentled by lightly ominous humor. Brown goes all in to match with a grayscale palette for everything but the purple crayon—a callback to black-and-white sci-fi thrillers as much as a visual cue for nascent horror readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Chilling in the best ways. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6588-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
PERSPECTIVES
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