Superhero punch without a superclear message.
Long uses the superhero trope to get kids ready to face their first-day fears.
Scotty is a kid with a super imagination…superhero, that is. This little boy apparently sleeps in his super-suit, as that’s how his mother finds him on this momentous morning, telling him to get dressed. But as alternate double-page spreads show, Scotty is busy with the business of a superhero, saving the world from rogue robots and anthropomorphized school supplies (and the school itself) gone berserk. Can Scotty face his biggest nemesis and greatest fear? With friends, anything is possible. Though the scenes depicting Scotty and his friends battling the fanged school have comic-book verve, there’s not much takeaway for young readers, superhero aspirations or no. Puzzlingly, following their combined assault on the school, a page turn reveals it completely unmarked and intact. Any psychological process real-life Scotty may have gone through to grow comfortable with school is invisible. For kids already filled with worries, a book containing salivating, toothy school supplies with angry eyes and malicious grins may be the straw that breaks the camel’s back. Scotty and his mother present white; his classmates are diverse. For great tales of imagination taking on school fears, stick with Planet Kindergarten (2016) by Sue Ganz-Schmitt and illustrated by Shane Prigmore or Super Saurus Saves Kindergarten (2017) by Deborah Underwood and illustrated by Ned Young.
Superhero punch without a superclear message. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: July 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68119-828-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 16, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre.
Ice princess Lina must navigate family and school in this early chapter read.
The family picnic is today. This is not a typical gathering, since Lina’s maternal relatives are a royal family of Windtamers who have power over the weather and live in castles floating on clouds. Lina herself is mixed race, with black hair and a tan complexion like her Asian-presenting mother’s; her Groundling father appears to be a white human. While making a grand entrance at the castle of her grandfather, the North Wind, she fails to successfully ride a gust of wind and crashes in front of her entire family. This prompts her stern grandfather to ask that Lina move in with him so he can teach her to control her powers. Desperate to avoid this, Lina and her friend Claudia, who is black, get Lina accepted at the Hilltop Science and Arts Academy. Lina’s parents allow her to go as long as she does lessons with grandpa on Saturdays. However, fitting in at a Groundling school is rough, especially when your powers start freak winter storms! With the story unfurling in diary format, bright-pink–highlighted grayscale illustrations help move the plot along. There are slight gaps in the storytelling and the pacing is occasionally uneven, but Lina is full of spunk and promotes self-acceptance.
A jam-packed opener sure to satisfy lovers of the princess genre. (Fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-35393-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 26, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
Warm but underdone.
In this picture book from actor Gyllenhaal and his partner, Caruso, a child and his uncle bond on a fantastic journey.
Leo, an avid dancer, is dismayed when Uncle Mo visits—he’s in town for a “rubber band convention.” Illustrations show both with wavy brown hair and light tan skin. Not only does Leo think his uncle is rather dull, he’s also leery of Uncle Mo’s many rules. A rather abrupt narrative shift occurs when the pair inexplicably drive into another dimension. Here they encounter Great-Aunt Gloria (who is very tall and presents Black) and Uncle Munkle Carbunkle (who is very short and light-skinned), who guide them through the Secret Society of Aunts & Uncles. Unimpressed with Uncle Mo, Great-Aunt Gloria says he must take a quiz on “Auntieology and Uncleology.” After several wrong answers, Uncle Mo has a final chance at redemption: He must state his nephew’s favorite activity. When Leo springs into action to dance for his clueless uncle, a mishap leaves him mortified and un-bespectacled. Enter Uncle Mo to save the day by using a rubber band to secure Leo’s glasses. While Santat’s energetic illustrations do much to clarify the narrative, they can’t fully make up for the disjointed storytelling—it’s never clear why the two have entered this dimension or why Leo is suddenly so eager to help Uncle Mo. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Warm but underdone. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781250776990
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2023
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