A helpful title for kids growing up in the social media age.
A fame-obsessed peacock gains much-needed perspective.
A purple peacock at the zoo loves having his photo taken by visitors and showing off his beautiful plumage. A young girl named Sketch with unnaturally pink skin is the only one uninterested in taking his photo; instead, she regularly visits Peacock to draw pictures of him in her notebook and tell him stories. Hungry for even more fame, Peacock escapes the zoo. He parades down the street on the roof of a school bus, strutting, posing, and garnering more and more attention. He wanders into a library, where everyone except the stereotypically stern librarian marvels at him. But being famous, it turns out, is exhausting; luckily, worn-out Peacock runs into Sketch, who begs him to “go back home.” Back at the zoo, Peacock loses his fan base when his feathers start to molt, but loyal Sketch is there to comfort him as the seasons change. Peterkin’s straightforward yet moving cautionary tale is capped off by backmatter urging caregivers to use the “3 C’s” of social media—content, contact, and conduct—as a framework for discussing “the benefits and risks of social media” with children. Prabhat’s cartoon-style digital illustrations depict animal and human figures alike with oversized, round eyes and vibrant colors and use close-ups to capture key emotional moments. Background characters have a range of skin tones from deep brown to tan.
A helpful title for kids growing up in the social media age. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Jan. 11, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-4338-3279-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Magination/American Psychological Association
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers.
The bestselling series (How to Catch an Elf, 2016, etc.) about capturing mythical creatures continues with a story about various ways to catch the Easter Bunny as it makes its annual deliveries.
The bunny narrates its own story in rhyming text, beginning with an introduction at its office in a manufacturing facility that creates Easter eggs and candy. The rabbit then abruptly takes off on its delivery route with a tiny basket of eggs strapped to its back, immediately encountering a trap with carrots and a box propped up with a stick. The narrative focuses on how the Easter Bunny avoids increasingly complex traps set up to catch him with no explanation as to who has set the traps or why. These traps include an underground tunnel, a fluorescent dance floor with a hidden pit of carrots, a robot bunny, pirates on an island, and a cannon that shoots candy fish, as well as some sort of locked, hazardous site with radiation danger. Readers of previous books in the series will understand the premise, but others will be confused by the rabbit’s frenetic escapades. Cartoon-style illustrations have a 1960s vibe, with a slightly scary, bow-tied bunny with chartreuse eyes and a glowing palette of neon shades that shout for attention.
This bunny escapes all the traps but fails to find a logical plot or an emotional connection with readers. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-3817-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Not enough tricks to make this a treat.
Another holiday title (How To Catch the Easter Bunny by Adam Wallace, illustrated by Elkerton, 2017) sticks to the popular series’ formula.
Rhyming four-line verses describe seven intrepid trick-or-treaters’ efforts to capture the witch haunting their Halloween. Rhyming roadblocks with toolbox is an acceptable stretch, but too often too many words or syllables in the lines throw off the cadence. Children familiar with earlier titles will recognize the traps set by the costume-clad kids—a pulley and box snare, a “Tunnel of Tricks.” Eventually they accept her invitation to “floss, bump, and boogie,” concluding “the dance party had hit the finale at last, / each dancing monster started to cheer! / There’s no doubt about it, we have to admit: / This witch threw the party of the year!” The kids are diverse, and their costumes are fanciful rather than scary—a unicorn, a dragon, a scarecrow, a red-haired child in a lab coat and bow tie, a wizard, and two space creatures. The monsters, goblins, ghosts, and jack-o'-lanterns, backgrounded by a turquoise and purple night sky, are sufficiently eerie. Still, there isn’t enough originality here to entice any but the most ardent fans of Halloween or the series. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Not enough tricks to make this a treat. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 2, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-72821-035-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: May 10, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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