Readers may learn a thing or two about both being a friend and getting over their own fears.
A moose and his forest friends are busy planning a Valentine’s Day party, but one aspect of the organizing stops them in their tracks.
Squirrel’s got the balloons covered, Bunny’s on the cards, and Porcupine is practicing hugs. But when Moose announces that everyone has to come, Bunny points out a potential problem: if Groundhog sees his shadow, he’ll go back to sleep and miss the party. The animals try to devise clever solutions, but they argue so long about which is best that they miss their opportunity: Groundhog’s already seen his shadow and gone back inside. When the friends surmise that he is afraid of shadows, they each propose a fun way to ease his fears, and they are successful. But to their disappointment, Groundhog is still going back to bed: it’s cold. They do receive “Groundhugs” beforehand, though. Six weeks later Groundhog emerges sporting a jaunty green suit and top hat, ready for a St. Patrick’s Day party. But now Bunny is mysteriously holed up….Denise’s digital illustrations anthropomorphize the friends, who walk on their hind legs. Most are accessorized and/or clothed, and they are surrounded by familiar human sights: houses, furniture, teacups. The light and shadows in the artwork are magical, a golden glow pervading the spreads.
Readers may learn a thing or two about both being a friend and getting over their own fears. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Dec. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4847-5356-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: Oct. 29, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2017
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
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Only for dedicated fans of the series.
When a kid gets the part of the ninja master in the school play, it finally seems to be the right time to tackle the closet monster.
“I spot my monster right away. / He’s practicing his ROAR. / He almost scares me half to death, / but I won’t be scared anymore!” The monster is a large, fluffy poison-green beast with blue hands and feet and face and a fluffy blue-and-green–striped tail. The kid employs a “bag of tricks” to try to catch the monster: in it are a giant wind-up shark, two cans of silly string, and an elaborate cage-and-robot trap. This last works, but with an unexpected result: the monster looks sad. Turns out he was only scaring the boy to wake him up so they could be friends. The monster greets the boy in the usual monster way: he “rips a massive FART!!” that smells like strawberries and lime, and then they go to the monster’s house to meet his parents and play. The final two spreads show the duo getting ready for bed, which is a rather anticlimactic end to what has otherwise been a rambunctious tale. Elkerton’s bright illustrations have a TV-cartoon aesthetic, and his playful beast is never scary. The narrator is depicted with black eyes and hair and pale skin. Wallace’s limping verses are uninspired at best, and the scansion and meter are frequently off.
Only for dedicated fans of the series. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4894-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
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