An endearing tale of not being daunted by family expectations.
The travails of the privileged turn into a down-to-earth, feel-good story.
Wodehouse Chili Pepper Pumpernickel the Third—a big name for a little poodle—has a lot to live up to, coming from a long line of best-in-show winners. His parents tell him that to get a human and win ribbons, he must “sit up straight and look bored.” When 8-year-old Isadora Alexandra Ball comes looking for a show dog, however, WCPPIII is asleep. When he wakes up, he yawns (a no-no), then has to flap his ear right-side-out. Isadora is sold. To her stylish mom, he’s “a bit scrawny” and “scruffy,” but his family name wows her. Izzy calls him Chili. Mom preps them both for an upcoming dog show; Dad, a dog groomer, dictates a pre-show bath and haircut for both. Izzy is dressed as a mini-Mom, while Chili is “fluffy,” “poofy,” and “HALF NAKED!” At the show, the duo gamely turn missteps to comedy. They’re not abashed by losing the ribbon, and though Izzy’s mom briefly wonders about the break in tradition, both sets of parents are entirely supportive. Bernstein here does for dogs what she did for felines in I Am a Cat (2018). As in that book, backgrounds are mostly white, but the style is, suitably, fluffier, with baroque squiggles on trophy cups, picture frames, and poodle cuts. Izzy and her parents are light-skinned; dog-show attendees are diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An endearing tale of not being daunted by family expectations. (Picture book. 5-9)Pub Date: June 20, 2023
ISBN: 9781419759451
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with...
Reynolds and Brown have crafted a Halloween tale that balances a really spooky premise with the hilarity that accompanies any mention of underwear.
Jasper Rabbit needs new underwear. Plain White satisfies him until he spies them: “Creepy underwear! So creepy! So comfy! They were glorious.” The underwear of his dreams is a pair of radioactive-green briefs with a Frankenstein face on the front, the green color standing out all the more due to Brown’s choice to do the entire book in grayscale save for the underwear’s glowing green…and glow they do, as Jasper soon discovers. Despite his “I’m a big rabbit” assertion, that glow creeps him out, so he stuffs them in the hamper and dons Plain White. In the morning, though, he’s wearing green! He goes to increasing lengths to get rid of the glowing menace, but they don’t stay gone. It’s only when Jasper finally admits to himself that maybe he’s not such a big rabbit after all that he thinks of a clever solution to his fear of the dark. Brown’s illustrations keep the backgrounds and details simple so readers focus on Jasper’s every emotion, writ large on his expressive face. And careful observers will note that the underwear’s expression also changes, adding a bit more creep to the tale.
Perfect for those looking for a scary Halloween tale that won’t leave them with more fears than they started with. Pair with Dr. Seuss’ tale of animate, empty pants. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Aug. 22, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0298-0
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
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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