Energetic and zany, with an a-peel-ing hero.
A thrill-seeking potato aspires to adventures in space.
Tate seizes his opportunity to be an astronaut when the Food Service–bound box he’s in gets dropped off next to the one headed for Space Training at the Space League. Tate is an enthusiastic russet, with a big mouth, expressive eyes, and stick-figure arms and legs. Clear cartoon illustrations and generously sized frames emphasize the story’s lighthearted feel. Tate performs so well in the potato maze, the saltwater tank, and as a potato battery that he gets “picked for a very big job” in space. Unfortunately, it turns out that Tate’s not really an astronaut but part of a test “to see if potatoes can grow in space.” Disappointed by this agricultural assignment, he deploys his questionable astronaut skills before jumping into a “space pod” full of dirt. Weeks later, five Tates emerge—all would-be astronauts. The diverse human crew is irritated as the Tates get wildly out of hand. Nevertheless, when the space lab loses power, the potatoes heroically come to the rescue and are rewarded with their own spaceship. A final page with science facts and suggestions for activities is nicely pitched to the audience.
Energetic and zany, with an a-peel-ing hero. (Graphic early reader. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9780823458479
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 16, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Fast and furious action guaranteed to keep new readers laughing and turning pages.
Never underestimate the chaotic fun that magic and an angry bouncing ball can create.
When Frog goes to the library, he borrows a book on magic. He then heads to a nearby park to read up on the skills necessary to becoming “a great magician.” Suddenly, a deflated yellow ball lands with a “Thud!” at his feet. Although he flexes his new magician muscles, Frog’s spells fall as flat as the ball. But when Frog shouts “Phooey!” and kicks the ball away, it inflates to become a big, angry ball. The ball begins to chase Frog, so he seeks shelter in the library—and Frog and ball turn the library’s usual calm into chaos. The cartoon chase crescendos. The ball bounces into the middle of a game of chess, interrupts a puppet show, and crashes into walls and bookcases. Staying just one bounce ahead, Frog runs, hides, grabs a ride on a book cart, and scatters books and papers as he slides across the library furniture before an alligator patron catches the ball and kicks it out the library door. But that’s not the end of the ball….Caple’s tidy panels and pastel-hued cartoons make a surprisingly effective setting for the slapstick, which should have young readers giggling. Simple sentences—often just subject and verb—with lots of repetition propel the action. Frog’s nonsense-word spells (“Poof Wiffle, Bop Bip!”) are both funny and excellent practice in phonetics. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Fast and furious action guaranteed to keep new readers laughing and turning pages. (Graphic early reader. 5-7)Pub Date: Aug. 10, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4341-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: June 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2021
Here’s hoping there will be a bunch of Baloney in the future.
A new chapter-book series promises tons of fun for everyone.
Baloney the pig couldn’t be happier about starring in his very own book—until pals Peanut D. Horse, Bizz E. Bee, and Krabbit (a crabby rabbit) crash the introduction, leaving him frustrated. Baloney perseveres and goes on to star in several, short comic book–style stories that often break the fourth wall and that always rely on the very different personalities of the characters to deliver humor. Peanut is a Pollyanna and just a bit daffy. Bizz is a sensible, thoughtful bee-ing. Krabbit is so crabby he’d give Oscar the Grouch a run for his money. Baloney? Well, Baloney is a sensitive sort who, in two longer episodes, wants to entertain his friends with a magic show and join in their fun at swimming. Shorter “mini-comics” between these sections provide good breaks for new readers who are, perhaps, just starting to make their ways through a longer text like this. Pizolli saves the strongest story for last, delivering a sweet and satisfying portrait of Peanut’s kindness to her friend Baloney when he feels blue. And readers needn’t feel blue themselves that the story is over since they can follow handy backmatter instructions to draw their own versions of the simple, line-drawn characters.
Here’s hoping there will be a bunch of Baloney in the future. (Graphic fantasy. 5-8)Pub Date: April 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-368-05454-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion/LBYR
Review Posted Online: Dec. 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2020
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