Rejoice, noodlehead fans! Here’s a tale to treasure.
The adventures of a kindly if naïve wizard who wouldn’t mind being crowned this year’s Harvest Hero.
In a tale that will charm the pants off readers, moony young Gumluck—looking a proper “buggy-bumper” in the acid words of surly raven narrator Helvetica—uncomplainingly dishes out magical favors to unappreciative locals in hopes they’ll vote for him for Harvest Hero at the upcoming Harvest Dance. It doesn’t look likely, as “Prince Whoop-de-doo,” who looks like “a fancy toilet brush” (Helvetica, again), always wins because his royal dad counts the votes. But after venturing into the Haunted Forest and emerging with both a lost child and a tiny ghost, enduring a disheartening visit from the Truth Fairy, and saving everyone when the king’s castle falls off its steep hill, all comes right for Gumluck in the end. Meanwhile, Gumluck has time to consider deep questions like whether a lie can be good and a truth bad. “Truth is good,” the wizard concludes, “but I think helping is better.” By the end he’s even won over Helvetica, who christens him a “darling old noodlehead.” So he is, in the finest tradition of noodleheads the world around. His short, beardless, light-skinned figure shares space with lightly caricatured companions and townsfolk (some of whom appear to be of color) in the monochrome pencil drawings that decorate or sometimes fill nearly every page.
Rejoice, noodlehead fans! Here’s a tale to treasure. (Fantasy. 8-10)Pub Date: Aug. 15, 2023
ISBN: 9781797213231
Page Count: 140
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Despite some verbosity, will appeal to readers seeking a fantastical escape from harsh realities.
The Spencer family leaves Philadelphia for a little summer rest and relaxation, not expecting to find magic and adventure.
In this heartwarming adventure story, McCarty takes readers on a modern-day romp in the woods of Boone, North Carolina. Ten-year-old Thomas has come with his family, who present white, to stay near Canaan Woods with Aunt Cecilia, a painter, in the home she and his mom grew up in. It’s a chance for Mom, who’s in remission from cancer, to recuperate. Through his mother’s stories and his visits to the woods, Thomas finds a world full of fairies, trolls, and, most importantly, a stone tiger. Thomas’ singing brings the tiger to life, and the two develop a bond. The relationship between Thomas and his mother, who suffers a setback in her health, centers on stories and the loss of imagination as we grow older. Mom’s tales of Greenwood, the name she and Aunt Cecilia gave the woods as children, are interspersed throughout. Although long-winded details bog down the text, the work features a lovely blend of reality mixed with the fantastical, keeping readers grounded while embracing whimsy. The writing style and treatment of the painful subject of parental mortality make this work suited for younger readers. McCarty supports childhood independence in his depiction of Thomas, who’s allowed the space to roam and experience his emotions.
Despite some verbosity, will appeal to readers seeking a fantastical escape from harsh realities. (Fantasy. 8-10)Pub Date: Sept. 24, 2025
ISBN: 9781958863299
Page Count: 296
Publisher: Bandersnatch Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 2, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2025
This beautifully designed and illustrated book will appeal to all who enjoy lavishly illustrated and well-told fairy tales. Long’s rich oil paintings, with their details of fabric and flowers, black borders and backgrounds, resemble the jewel-like enameled boxes of Russian folk tradition. The tale, too, incorporates traditional folk elements, including a magical matryoshka doll, talking animal helpers (a bear, a wolf and a firebird), and a handsome prince frozen by an evil spell, who is saved by Katya’s courage and her kiss. Katya is a strong heroine who makes her way alone in the world, determined to do what is right. It is only gradually that she falls in love with the Tsarevitch she sets out to save. Ogburn’s prose flows smoothly and rhythmically, making this tale as lovely to read aloud as it is to look at. The details of snow, birds, clothing, plants, and animals, and the lavish designs in the architecture and in the interiors, in combination with the appealing story, simply and economically told, but rich in archetypes, make this a book to be enjoyed over and over again. (author’s note) (Picture book. 8-10)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2000
ISBN: 0-8037-2414-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2000
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