An upbeat, charming reminder that any problem can be solved with the right attitude.
A dog lover prevented from pet ownership finds a creative solution.
“Our apartment is the perfect place for pillow forts and movie nights and family dinners,” Zoe tells us. “Unfortunately, it is not the perfect place for dogs.” But Zoe is a good problem solver, and the young narrator takes us on a walk around the neighborhood, where we meet a variety of dogs, from Wishbone, a Chihuahua whom Zoe reads to, to Marmalade, a Yorkie who has wheels in place of hind legs, to Gabby and Abby, Zoe’s piano teacher’s collies. Conversations with a neighbor at the community garden and later with big sister Meg lead Zoe to a great idea for a birthday party in the park…with all of Zoe’s pals, human and canine. The celebration is a joyous event. Horan’s straightforward, minimal text tells a cheerful story; the closest we get to anything negative occurs when Zoe admits to a pang of jealousy over a friend who has just adopted a pet dachshund. Overall, it’s a sweet and gently humorous tale, with lively, colorful illustrations that bring to life a tightknit urban community. Young children will feel empowered witnessing how Zoe finds a way to deal with a seemingly insurmountable issue. Zoe and Meg are Asian-presenting, while their mother is light-skinned; their neighborhood is diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally; this review has been updated for factual accuracy.)
An upbeat, charming reminder that any problem can be solved with the right attitude. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 13, 2023
ISBN: 9780593324356
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Review Posted Online: March 28, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Safe to creep on by.
Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.
In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.
Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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