A fun tale to share during spooky season.
A child thinks their babysitter might be a witch.
It’s Halloween, and a child spies their new babysitter arriving. The babysitter has a long nose, a large beauty mark on her cheek, and a tall pointed black hat on her head—telltale signs of a witch. As the child and babysitter move through their night, the child chronicles ways readers might identify a babysitter as a bruja (“If she zooms in on a broom. / black sombrero on her head. / cackling like a crow…”) as well as ways to outsmart a bruja: by mixing up a concoction that causes her to yell “¡Ay Caramba!” taking the bruja’s broom, and hurling water at her. But slowly the child realizes that maybe brujas aren’t so bad after all. Unitalicized Spanish words are incorporated throughout. Freitas’ digital art depicts a colorful house full of Halloween decorations and homey details, and the spreads with the bruja on her broom (or bike) are full of whimsical shapes. The characters’ faces are expressive, and it’s clear the child isn't afraid of the maybe-a-witch babysitter. Of course, the joke is “it’s almost Halloween” and the babysitter could just be wearing a witch costume...but do we know for sure? Characters are tan-skinned and cued as Latinx. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A fun tale to share during spooky season. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-8874-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A forgettable tale.
Dot, the smallest reindeer at the North Pole, is too little to fly with the reindeer team on Christmas Eve, but she helps Santa in a different, unexpected way.
Dot is distressed because she can’t jump and fly like the other, bigger reindeer. Her family members encourage her and help her practice her skills, and her mother tells her, “There’s always next year.” Dot’s elf friend, Oliver, encourages her and spends time playing with her, doing things that Dot can do well, such as building a snowman and chasing their friend Yeti (who looks like a fuzzy, white gumdrop). On Christmas Eve, Santa and the reindeer team take off with their overloaded sleigh. Only Dot notices one small present that’s fallen in the snow, and she successfully leaps into the departing sleigh with the gift. This climactic flying leap into the sleigh is not adequately illustrated, as Dot is shown just starting to leap and then already in the sleigh. A saccharine conclusion notes that being little can sometimes be great and that “having a friend by your side makes anything possible.” The story is pleasant but predictable, with an improbably easy solution to Dot’s problem. Illustrations in a muted palette are similarly pleasant but predictable, with a greeting-card flavor that lacks originality. The elf characters include boys, girls, and adults; all the elves and Santa and Mrs. Claus are white.
A forgettable tale. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 26, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-338-15738-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
A disjointed read that nevertheless will elicit warm seasonal feelings.
In this picture book based on Gold’s popular song, a group of costumed children shriek and screech on Halloween.
Youngsters wearing skeleton outfits assemble and prepare for spooky fun. They imagine themselves as the real deal—bones come to life—while getting ready and posing for photos. As they trick-or-treat, they surprise other members of the community. Later, they put on a silly performance, with actual skeletons joining in, before heading home for some hard-earned rest. Adults familiar with the hit tune—which was recorded in 1996 and has since gone viral on social media—might pick up this one based on that recognition. The illustrations loosely take inspiration from the lyrics and serve as the primary driver for the storytelling. They make excellent use of fall colors and exude a sunset glow that truly evokes Halloween. Sometimes the text and visuals align, but at other times the images tell the story independently: Gold’s goofy lyrics describe skeletons rising from their sarcophagi to “send shiiiiivers down your spine” and “SHOCK your soul,” while the gentle visuals mostly focus on trick-or-treating, with real skeletons occasionally jumping into the fray. The result is a muddled—though still enjoyable—reading experience. Most human characters are light-skinned, though people of color appear as well.
A disjointed read that nevertheless will elicit warm seasonal feelings. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2024
ISBN: 9780593903049
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: June 15, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2024
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