Yet in an era in which electronics are always one-upping one another in the global market, it’s nice to see a picture-book...
Competitive pals get into a war of escalating ridiculousness in this amusing if visually stunted tale.
Two robots introduce themselves to readers, then one zips away and back to reintroduce itself as “Robot ZOMBIE!” Not to be outdone, its companion dons a costume of its own, now appearing as “Robot Zombie Frankenstein!” And up the ante goes. With each change, the robots pile on more and more visual elements (a Frankenstein scar, Groucho glasses, etc.). When the robots both appear as "Robot zombie Frankenstein pirate superhero-in-disguise outer space invader chef," one robot produces a tasty cherry pie and the two dig in, rivalry forgotten and buddies once more. The endpapers display the full roster of shapes that make up each costume. While the effect is novel and the chaos sure to prove hilarious to young readers, there is something oddly static about the digital art itself. In its attempt to simplify the visuals down to their most essential shapes, the story is drained of the vitality and charisma normally associated with Simon’s work. Thanks to the use of shapes, this book may work best with craft programs more than anything else.
Yet in an era in which electronics are always one-upping one another in the global market, it’s nice to see a picture-book equivalent that ends with the consumption of delicious desserts. Apple and PC, take note. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7636-5124-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
Readers are sure to visit this shop again and again for its fantastical creatures and its slightly sinister tone.
Two proven masters combine talents to produce a deliciously creepy mock-horror picture book.
Stine, of Goosebumps fame, and Brown, of the popular Arthur series, challenge readers before the title page. “Pssssst…HEY, YOU! Are you afraid of MONSTERS? Do they make you SHIVER and SHAKE and shut your eyes really tight at night? / If you think you’re brave enough, then come with me.” A boy and a girl look in the window of the Little Shop of Monsters. The merchandise looks like an innocuous, ragtag bunch of rather friendly creatures, but the intrusive narrator delivers ominous warnings: “I hope they don’t break the glass, jump out, and EAT you.” Within the store, the girl looks to be the brave one, while the boy seems alarmed or at least wary. Caged monsters with arms outstretched and mouths in smiles (or perhaps evil grins) greet them. Their tour through the shop finds them face to face with a series of goofy monsters with silly, unthreatening names like Tina-Not-Ticklish. Brown uses colored pencils, watercolor, spray paint, and gouache in double-page spreads to show hulking, sometimes wild, but never terrifying monsters, while the text tries to convince readers that these are a fierce and threatening group. After all, “when you come to the Little Shop of Monsters, you don’t CHOOSE a monster… / A MONSTER CHOOSES YOU!”
Readers are sure to visit this shop again and again for its fantastical creatures and its slightly sinister tone. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Aug. 25, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-316-36983-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: July 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2015
Gorgeous cut-paper collage illustrations cannot outweigh the absence of a story.
First in the Math in Nature series, this prompts readers to imagine animals and plants using numbers to count and arrange themselves.
“Would pronghorns pair up, / line up in a parade, / and prance across the prairie? // With toes like those, / do you suppose / raccoons can count on trouble?” The text attempts some rhythm and rhyme, but it is inconsistent and awkwardly forces the story to conform to the words. Each verse is followed by a separate text box that allows readers to practice a mathematical concept: Counting, ordinal numbers, groups of 10, skip counting, counting down from 10, and halves are among those addressed. Backmatter includes a brief paragraph of information about the featured flora and fauna, but it lacks an answer key. Barron’s artwork is lovely, each spread filled with natural colors, textures and 3-D scenery, but not all are particularly fall-ish. It can also be difficult to distinguish the items to be counted from the backgrounds and to put them into the correct groupings (don’t count across the gutter on the bat page, even though there’s no break in the line of bats!). Finally, Flatt’s conclusion—that nature does not "know" numbers—is just not scientifically accurate. Animals and plants may not count and arrange themselves by number, but that does not mean there is no math in nature.
Gorgeous cut-paper collage illustrations cannot outweigh the absence of a story. (Math picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-926973-36-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Owlkids Books
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
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