Whether or not jumbies are real is never fully revealed, but the power of their stories is as clear as day.
Naya knows that tonight is perfect for searching for something scary, but with some new companions, she won’t have to search alone.
As Naya’s mother puts her to bed, the brown-skinned duo’s hair appropriately wrapped, indoor and outdoor animals exactly where they need to be, a full moon and stars twinkling brightly above, Naya has already decided she’s going on an adventure. She’s going to find a jumbie—a creature of Caribbean folklore—an especially scary one, expressing this in a refrain that recalls “We’re Going on a Bear Hunt.” Ren’s friendly cartoons illustrate Naya’s path out from her warm, pink home into the lush, green outdoors. Over the course of her journey, Naya comes across some striking creatures that could be jumbies, but they’re not quite scary enough. In fact, every creature she meets tonight is so friendly it joins her in her search for a scary jumbie. By journey’s end, her team is as vibrant and diverse as the stories and legends in which jumbies are traditionally found. Baptiste returns Naya and her story back home eventually, but not before introducing readers to a cast of folk characters from the Douen to Mama D’Leau. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Whether or not jumbies are real is never fully revealed, but the power of their stories is as clear as day. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 21, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-297081-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Balzer + Bray/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
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
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
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