Sure to soothe anyone who’s ever fretted about what’s out there in the dark.
In this follow-up to Wolfboy (2021), an innovative art technique jazzes up a familiar narrative.
After a long night of playing, Wolfboy and his rabbit friends head home. They hope to arrive before moonset, so Wolfboy advises that they use a shortcut “through the lair of the GRUMBLE MONSTER.” As the title suggests, Wolfboy is the one scared by this plan, not the rabbits. Harkness uses perspective to make Wolfboy and the rabbits seem very small as they enter the forest. Wolfboy thinks he sees the monster lurking behind trees, but the rabbits reassure him otherwise (those “claws” are just branches, and that “tail” is just a bramble vine). Readers, however, will notice parts of the monster’s large body in the foregrounds of the illustrations, unseen by the characters. The pacing recalls Julia Danielson and Axel Scheffler’s The Gruffalo, as the monster is revealed bit by bit, and when Wolfboy and the rabbits finally meet him, he’s not so scary after all. This twist brings to mind stories like Rachel Bright’s Love Monster (2012) or even Andrew Clement and Yoshi’s Big Al (1991), but the distinctive artwork sets Harkness’ picture book apart. The Claymation-like illustrations, which Harkness explains in a note he created using a virtual-reality headset, sculpting each page “in much the same way I would sculpt with real clay,” have a 3-D effect, like stills from stop-motion animation. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Sure to soothe anyone who’s ever fretted about what’s out there in the dark. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: July 11, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0445-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
A disappointing follow-up.
Inventor Izzy Gizmo is back in this sequel to her eponymous debut (2017).
While busily inventing one day, Izzy receives an invitation from the Genius Guild to their annual convention. Though Izzy’s “inventions…don’t always work,” Grandpa (apparently her sole caregiver) encourages her to go. The next day they undertake a long journey “over fields, hills, and waves” and “mile after mile” to isolated Technoff Isle. There, Izzy finds she must compete against four other kids to create the most impressive machine. The colorful, detail-rich illustrations chronicle how poor Izzy is thwarted at every turn by Abi von Lavish, a Veruca Salt–esque character who takes all the supplies for herself. But when Abi abandons her project, Izzy salvages the pieces and decides to take Grandpa’s advice to create a machine that “can really be put to good use.” A frustrated Izzy’s impatience with a friend almost foils her chance at the prize, but all’s well that ends well. There’s much to like: Brown-skinned inventor girl Izzy is an appealing character, it’s great to see a nurturing brown-skinned male caregiver, the idea of an “Invention Convention” is fun, and a sustainable-energy invention is laudable. However, these elements don’t make up for rhymes that often feel forced and a lackluster story.
A disappointing follow-up. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: March 1, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68263-164-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Peachtree
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their...
Ruby is an adventurous and happy child until the day she discovers a Worry.
Ruby barely sees the Worry—depicted as a blob of yellow with a frowny unibrow—at first, but as it hovers, the more she notices it and the larger it grows. The longer Ruby is affected by this Worry, the fewer colors appear on the page. Though she tries not to pay attention to the Worry, which no one else can see, ignoring it prevents her from enjoying the things that she once loved. Her constant anxiety about the Worry causes the bright yellow blob to crowd Ruby’s everyday life, which by this point is nearly all washes of gray and white. But at the playground, Ruby sees a boy sitting on a bench with a growing sky-blue Worry of his own. When she invites the boy to talk, his Worry begins to shrink—and when Ruby talks about her own Worry, it also grows smaller. By the book’s conclusion, Ruby learns to control her Worry by talking about what worries her, a priceless lesson for any child—or adult—conveyed in a beautifully child-friendly manner. Ruby presents black, with hair in cornrows and two big afro-puff pigtails, while the boy has pale skin and spiky black hair.
A valuable asset to the library of a child who experiences anxiety and a great book to get children talking about their feelings (. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5476-0237-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Review Posted Online: May 7, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2019
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