Fans of uncomplicated, familycentric stories won’t be disappointed.
The adventures of Arturo continue (Arturo and the Navidad Birds, 2013) as he and his grandmother prepare a Salvadoran-style welcome-to-the-family dinner for Tía Inés’ fiance, Michael.
The interaction between Abue Rosa and her young grandson is comfortable and loving as they go about preparing pupusas, stuffed, tortillalike fried corn cakes. Together, they settle on a pickled slaw called curtido, fried plantains, chocolate almond cake, and fruit salad for the menu. Abue sets aside the hot pupusas, complaining of a headache. Instead of taking aspirin and plowing on, she welcomes Arturo’s invitation to lie down for a nap: “Why don’t you rest, Abue?” “Gracias, m’ijo. I will,” she says. “Call me in a few minutes and I will finish cooking.” Adding this smidgen of tension to an otherwise lightweight feel-good tale appears to be this subplot’s sole purpose. And it strains credulity. No nana worth her salt is going to let a headache get in her way when only the pupusas are ready—the curtido alone needs to rest in the fridge a minimum of two hours according to the appended recipe. Needless to say, Arturo’s ingenuity saves the day. He hastily assembles kid-friendly substitutions to the happy amazement of all. Lewis’ warm palette cocoons the characters in manifest familial love. In addition to the recipes and an author’s note, a glossary featuring many Anglicized phonetic pronunciations—“OB-way” for Abue instead of “Ah-bweh”—is included.
Fans of uncomplicated, familycentric stories won’t be disappointed. (Bilingual picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 16, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4556-2283-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Pelican
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience.
The How to Catch A… crew try for Comet.
Having already failed to nab a Halloween witch, the Easter Bunny, a turkey, a leprechaun, the Tooth Fairy, and over a dozen other iconic trophies in previous episodes of this bestselling series, one would think the racially diverse gaggle of children in Elkerton’s moonlit, wintry scenes would be flagging…but no, here they lay out snares ranging from a loop of garland to an igloo baited with reindeer moss to an enticing candy cane maze, all in hopes of snagging one of Santa’s reindeer while he’s busy delivering presents. Infused with pop culture–based Christmas cheer (“Now I’ve already seen the shelf with the elf”), Comet prances past the traps until it’s time to gather up the kids, most of whom look terrified, for a group snapshot with the other reindeer and then climb back into harness: “This was a great stop but a few million to go / Christmas Eve must continue with style!” Though festive, the verse feels trite and unlikely to entice youngsters. A sprinkling of “True Facts About Reindeer” (“They live in the tundra, where they have friends like the arctic bunny”) wrap up this celebration of the predatory spirit. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
These reindeer games are a bit tired but, given the series’ popularity, should have a large, ready-made audience. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2022
ISBN: 9781728276137
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Dec. 12, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
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