Tashi is the star of a long-running series from Australia (Tashi and the Mixed-Up Monster, 2007, etc.). This 15th book still has a freshness that comes from the quietly humorous disconnect between the titular magical, elf-like character and his friends, Jack and his suburban family. Meeting legendary beings like Baba Yaga, the Golem or the Phoenix seems to be a regular part of Tashi’s existence. Here, Tashi saves the day by using his wits and a bit of ghost-cake (the magical substance that allows slipping through walls) and frees the Phoenix after the great bird agrees to display his magnificence at the Warlord’s court in order to save the elf’s uncle from his own boasting. In addition to the title story, “The Unexpected Letter” showcases Tashi’s relationships with two princesses. The penciled pseudo-Asian backgrounds and a villain who resembles Genghis Khan seem stereotypical, but there is an air of enchantment about Tashi’s imaginary world. Look no further for a different type of first chapter book. (Fantasy. 6-8)
Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2010
ISBN: 978-1-74175-474-2
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Review Posted Online: Dec. 30, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2010
Tongue-in-cheek fare for post-toddler peekaboo fans.
Peering through a colored filter reveals all sorts of unconventional goings-on within seemingly ordinary homes and other buildings.
The French illustrators return to the gimmick used in their first collaboration, The Great Journey (2016), offering blocky images drawn in thick, bright red lines and patterns that vanish when viewed through a detachable circle of red acetate to reveal pale blue scenes done in a suppler style beneath. Single-line captions running underneath either suggest that there’s nothing much to see (“Everyone is calm, relaxing in their homes, or going about their business”) or, like the revelation that trucker Mrs. Khan is “carrying a package for the Banana-plane factory,” hint at droll revelations. Filtered images include several acrobats, a man shopping for a hat for his dog, a reader comfortably nestled between the humps of a camel, piles of oddly shaped packages in a post office, and (yes) workers polishing up a plane shaped like a giant banana. The journey ends at the zoo…with no animals to be seen. Where have they gone? To previous locales, which viewers are invited to reexamine more closely. Unlike the far more elaborate (and often obscure) three-colored layers in Carnovsky’s Illuminature (2016) and sequels, the underlying art here is easy to make out, and the filter is large enough to use both eyes at once. Human figures are highly stylized but still as white as the stiff paper stock.
Tongue-in-cheek fare for post-toddler peekaboo fans. (Novelty picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: March 24, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-84976-669-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Tate/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 20, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2020
A new chapter-book adventure series opens with a whimper.
The mystery of missing class pets: Is something nefarious afoot?
Second grader Milton Worthy feeds the class ferret, Noah, before class begins and then doesn’t close the cage securely. When Noah escapes, that’s when things get odd. Mrs. Baltman sends them out for an unscheduled early recess, and when they return, she is gone. In her place is a substitute: Milton’s mother. Mrs. Worthy doesn’t behave like a normal sub, either. She sends some students on a ferret hunt while others are ordered to seek blueprints of the school. While the class is on yet another unscheduled recess, Milton hides to spy on his mother and discovers her great secret. His mother is a helmet-wearing secret agent sent from the Society of Substitutes to thwart Noah, an evil genius who intends to teleport everyone to Evil Pet Island. A distracting overuse of ellipses and a disjointed narrative are bound to make this a challenge for readers transitioning to chapter books; milestones appear at the end of each chapter, but use of devices such as questions or comments to boost reader engagement is inconsistent. A mix of prose with speech bubbles in the cartoon illustrations may appeal to readers comfortable with comics. Diversity is conveyed primarily through the illustrations, buttressed by naming convention; Mrs. Baltman, Milton’s mother, and Milton all present White, though the class as a whole appears more diverse.
A new chapter-book adventure series opens with a whimper. (prompts) (Adventure. 7-8)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-290929-9
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 28, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2020
© Copyright 2025 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.
