A glowing reminder that patience, creativity, and kindness can quiet even the meanest of trolls.
Creating art becomes an act of inclusion and friendship.
In a cave near a playground lives a “big fierce troll.” Children keep their distance—except for a pale-skinned, redheaded boy who asks the troll to come out. When the troll rebuffs his invitation, he tries another tactic. Gathering chalk, the boy draws incomplete pictures, including a flower with a missing petal and a tailless dog—tacit encouragement for the troll to participate. The artistic breadcrumbs pay off, and the troll is coaxed out of the cave but still remains gruff. In a last-ditch attempt at friendship, the boy draws himself with his hand extended. The next day he returns to find an image of himself hand in hand with a “big scary troll.” “But you’re not a troll,” he says. “You’re a boy—just like me.” He redraws the troll, depicting a smiling, brown-haired, pale-skinned youngster. Now that the troll’s true self has been revealed, the two begin to draw and are soon joined by other kids, all varying in skin tone. Litchfield’s illustrations are luminous, colorful, and tremendously appealing. More literal readers may be confused about the boy/troll in the cave: Does he live there? Is he just in a bad mood? But there’s comfort to be found in the message of seeing and being seen, of showing up, and the inclusive power of art.
A glowing reminder that patience, creativity, and kindness can quiet even the meanest of trolls. (Picture book. 3-8)Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2025
ISBN: 9781536243970
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 30, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2025
Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his...
It’s a wonderful day in the jungle, so why’s Jim Panzee so grumpy?
When Jim woke up, nothing was right: "The sun was too bright, the sky was too blue, and bananas were too sweet." Norman the gorilla asks Jim why he’s so grumpy, and Jim insists he’s not. They meet Marabou, to whom Norman confides that Jim’s grumpy. When Jim denies it again, Marabou points out that Jim’s shoulders are hunched; Jim stands up. When they meet Lemur, Lemur points out Jim’s bunchy eyebrows; Jim unbunches them. When he trips over Snake, Snake points out Jim’s frown…so Jim puts on a grimacelike smile. Everyone has suggestions to brighten his mood: dancing, singing, swinging, swimming…but Jim doesn’t feel like any of that. He gets so fed up, he yells at his animal friends and stomps off…then he feels sad about yelling. He and Norman (who regrets dancing with that porcupine) finally just have a sit and decide it’s a wonderful day to be grumpy—which, of course, makes them both feel a little better. Suzanne Lang’s encouragement to sit with your emotions (thus allowing them to pass) is nearly Buddhist in its take, and it will be great bibliotherapy for the crabby, cranky, and cross. Oscar-nominated animator Max Lang’s cartoony illustrations lighten the mood without making light of Jim’s mood; Jim has comically long arms, and his facial expressions are quite funny.
Though Jim may have been grumpy because a chimp’s an ape and not a monkey, readers will enjoy and maybe learn from his journey. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: May 15, 2018
ISBN: 978-0-553-53786-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 18, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A wandering effort, happy but pointless.
The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.
Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.
A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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