Provocative but ultimately confusing.
A follow-up to the creators’ Invisible Things (2023), which also concerned itself with everyday phenomena that people can’t see.
After being told that “this book is about MYSTERIOUS THINGS” and that “95% of our universe is INVISIBLE,” readers are introduced to some “MYSTERIOUS friends” who can’t be seen, among them Spirit, Weirdness, and Heebie-Jeebies. Each friend is anthropomorphized in Pizza’s illustrations—for instance, Spirit looks like a sheet ghost with yellow eyes. (Readers of the earlier book will be familiar with some of these critters.) The gabby omniscient narrator muses about these pals: “Curiosity and Mystery go hand in hand. They like to be creative—tinkering, playing, and imagining.” The book incorporates the friends into scenes alongside racially diverse children and adults who are all basically wondering, “What does it all mean?!” Needless to say, young readers shouldn’t turn to this book for answers; the point is that sometimes there aren’t any, and that that’s OK. But whereas Invisible Things spoke fairly methodically about feelings and the senses (other than sight), this narrative is more meandering, jumping from topic to topic without making concrete connections. Some children may find this book to be a helpful way to consider ideas that are already percolating, but other kids (and adults) are likely to be frustrated by the whole package, which features chaotic illustrations that include dialogue-balloon wisecracks that strain for humor.
Provocative but ultimately confusing. (Picture book. 6-10)Pub Date: July 14, 2026
ISBN: 9781797239880
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: April 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2026
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for...
A gentle voice and familiar pitfalls characterize this tale of a boy navigating the risky road to responsibility.
Gavin is new to his neighborhood and Carver Elementary. He likes his new friend, Richard, and has a typically contentious relationship with his older sister, Danielle. When Gavin’s desire to impress Richard sets off a disastrous chain of events, the boy struggles to evade responsibility for his actions. “After all, it isn’t his fault that Danielle’s snow globe got broken. Sure, he shouldn’t have been in her room—but then, she shouldn’t be keeping candy in her room to tempt him. Anybody would be tempted. Anybody!” opines Gavin once he learns the punishment for his crime. While Gavin has a charming Everyboy quality, and his aversion to Aunt Myrtle’s yapping little dog rings true, little about Gavin distinguishes him from other trouble-prone protagonists. He is, regrettably, forgettable. Coretta Scott King Honor winner English (Francie, 1999) is a teacher whose storytelling usually benefits from her day job. Unfortunately, the pizzazz of classroom chaos is largely absent from this series opener.
This outing lacks the sophistication of such category standards as Clementine; here’s hoping English amps things up for subsequent volumes. (Fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: Dec. 17, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-547-97044-8
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: Oct. 1, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists.
How to raise money for a coveted poster: put your friends to work!
John, founder of the FUBU fashion line and a Shark Tank venture capitalist, offers a self-referential blueprint for financial success. Having only half of the $10 he needs for a Minka J poster, Daymond forks over $1 to buy a plain T-shirt, paints a picture of the pop star on it, sells it for $5, and uses all of his cash to buy nine more shirts. Then he recruits three friends to decorate them with his design and help sell them for an unspecified amount (from a conveniently free and empty street-fair booth) until they’re gone. The enterprising entrepreneur reimburses himself for the shirts and splits the remaining proceeds, which leaves him with enough for that poster as well as a “brand-new business book,” while his friends express other fiscal strategies: saving their share, spending it all on new art supplies, or donating part and buying a (math) book with the rest. (In a closing summation, the author also suggests investing in stocks, bonds, or cryptocurrency.) Though Miles cranks up the visual energy in her sparsely detailed illustrations by incorporating bright colors and lots of greenbacks, the actual advice feels a bit vague. Daymond is Black; most of the cast are people of color. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
It’s hard to argue with success, but guides that actually do the math will be more useful to budding capitalists. (Picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: March 21, 2023
ISBN: 978-0-593-56727-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2023
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