Great story idea, beautiful and well-functioning graphics—but mildly lacking in delivery.
A child lies in bed contemplating what various nighttime sounds might be.
Lights are switched off, no one else is around and strange noises fuel an already-jumpy imagination. In this story, the protagonist hears assorted sounds and imagines numerous dangers and crises. Perhaps there’s a wild animal loose, and the police are chasing it. There's been an earthquake—but rescuers are on the way. Each presumption is fueled by everyday sounds, including a passing motorcycle, a whistling teakettle and footsteps on stairs. Each disruption is introduced by an image of what is really making the noise, followed by the protagonist’s ever-more-bloodshot eyes staring out of the dark; his thoughts appear as sentences that curl around his eyes, so he is literally surrounded by his fears. The story clearly demonstrates that many fears are silly conjectures that have no basis in fact. It’s likely to spawn conversations about being afraid of the dark—or anything, for that matter. Native English speakers may find the narrator’s heavy accent distracting (she refers to a “wild and hang-ry animal,” talks rapidly and even sounds downright sultry at times). The story can be narrated or read in English, Spanish or Italian, and the read- and record-it-myself options include original sound effects. Marionette-like characters, well-crafted animation and angled, floating text add significant graphic appeal. There’s even a painting feature that allows creations to be emailed directly from the iPad.
Great story idea, beautiful and well-functioning graphics—but mildly lacking in delivery. (iPad storybook app. 4-9)Pub Date: June 17, 2011
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: Zentric
Review Posted Online: July 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2011
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
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift.
A paean to teachers and their surrogates everywhere.
This gentle ode to a teacher’s skill at inspiring, encouraging, and being a role model is spoken, presumably, from a child’s viewpoint. However, the voice could equally be that of an adult, because who can’t look back upon teachers or other early mentors who gave of themselves and offered their pupils so much? Indeed, some of the self-aware, self-assured expressions herein seem perhaps more realistic as uttered from one who’s already grown. Alternatively, readers won’t fail to note that this small book, illustrated with gentle soy-ink drawings and featuring an adult-child bear duo engaged in various sedentary and lively pursuits, could just as easily be about human parent- (or grandparent-) child pairs: some of the softly colored illustrations depict scenarios that are more likely to occur within a home and/or other family-oriented setting. Makes sense: aren’t parents and other close family members children’s first teachers? This duality suggests that the book might be best shared one-on-one between a nostalgic adult and a child who’s developed some self-confidence, having learned a thing or two from a parent, grandparent, older relative, or classroom instructor.
A sweet, soft conversation starter and a charming gift. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-943200-08-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Compendium
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
