An important life message inexpertly conveyed.
Sometimes you have to leave to discover where home is.
Tiger and Cat are inseparable: They dance, play, eat, drink tea, and explore together. Then Tiger tells Cat he must go to Tiger Camp to “earn [his] stripes” and become a “real tiger.” Cat’s protestations that he has stripes and is a tiger already don’t help; both friends are heartbroken. Time passes. Cat continues the activities she once enjoyed with Tiger, while Tiger learns to live “wild.” Cat stops everyone she encounters who wears stripes, finally meeting a young, brown-skinned girl named Susie wearing a tiger costume. After hearing Cat’s sad tale, Susie transcribes a message that the feline dictates, which Cat recites aloud to an absent Tiger at bedtime. That night, Tiger dreams Cat tells him how much she misses him. The next day, Tiger returns, admitting that “Tiger Camp just wasn’t for me!” Tiger accepts his identity as it is, realizing he doesn’t have to change. This gentle Australian import conveys the empowering message that we should be proud of exactly who we are. Unfortunately, the writing is amateurish and sentimental, though the characters are sympathetic. The pleasant, delicately colored line drawings nicely capture expressive Tiger and Cat’s sweet, enduring bond, but readers’ understanding may be hampered somewhat if they don’t know the meaning of the idiomatic expression “earning one’s stripes.” (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An important life message inexpertly conveyed. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 7, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-922610-50-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Berbay Publishing
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available.
A ghost learns to appreciate his differences.
The little ghost protagonist of this title is unusual. He’s a quilt, not a lightweight sheet like his parents and friends. He dislikes being different despite his mom’s reassurance that his ancestors also had unconventional appearances. Halloween makes the little ghost happy, though. He decides to watch trick-or-treaters by draping over a porch chair—but lands on a porch rail instead. A mom accompanying her daughter picks him up, wraps him around her chilly daughter, and brings him home with them! The family likes his looks and comforting warmth, and the little ghost immediately feels better about himself. As soon as he’s able to, he flies out through the chimney and muses happily that this adventure happened only due to his being a quilt. This odd but gently told story conveys the importance of self-respect and acceptance of one’s uniqueness. The delivery of this positive message has something of a heavy-handed feel and is rushed besides. It also isn’t entirely logical: The protagonist could have been a different type of covering; a blanket, for instance, might have enjoyed an identical experience. The soft, pleasing illustrations’ palette of tans, grays, white, black, some touches of color, and, occasionally, white text against black backgrounds suggest isolation, such as the ghost feels about himself. Most humans, including the trick-or-treating mom and daughter, have beige skin. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11-by-16.6-inch double-page spreads viewed at 66.2% of actual size.)
Halloween is used merely as a backdrop; better holiday titles for young readers are available. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7352-6447-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories.
Kids know vegetables can be scary, but rarely are edible roots out to get someone. In this whimsical mock-horror tale, carrots nearly frighten the whiskers off Jasper Rabbit, an interloper at Crackenhopper Field.
Jasper loves carrots, especially those “free for the taking.” He pulls some in the morning, yanks out a few in the afternoon, and comes again at night to rip out more. Reynolds builds delicious suspense with succinct language that allows understatements to be fully exploited in Brown’s hilarious illustrations. The cartoon pictures, executed in pencil and then digitally colored, are in various shades of gray and serve as a perfectly gloomy backdrop for the vegetables’ eerie orange on each page. “Jasper couldn’t get enough carrots … / … until they started following him.” The plot intensifies as Jasper not only begins to hear the veggies nearby, but also begins to see them everywhere. Initially, young readers will wonder if this is all a product of Jasper’s imagination. Was it a few snarling carrots or just some bathing items peeking out from behind the shower curtain? The ending truly satisfies both readers and the book’s characters alike. And a lesson on greed goes down like honey instead of a forkful of spinach.
Serve this superbly designed title to all who relish slightly scary stories. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 21, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-0297-3
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 1, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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