Pass on this party unless tame titles for the preschool set are needed.
Monsters attending parties are a popular picture-book topic; this circular tale adds one more to the shelf.
A friendly young monster receives a party invitation: “Monster invited. / Monster delighted. / Monster squeals, ‘SO EXCITED!’ ” The pastel-blue monster’s antics should elicit a few giggles, as when he primps in front of the bathroom mirror in his underwear or when he gets ready to chomp on a bug-covered pizza. Games are played, food is eaten, a food fight is begun, gifts are opened—and a temper tantrum erupts when it is time to say goodbye. The monster’s dad is a master distracter and redirects his son’s attention to checking the mail. Surprise (or not): Another invitation has arrived, and the creature’s frown disappears: “Monster glee. / Monster yippee! / Monster marks RSVP.” Unfortunately, the rhyming text fails to encourage participation and lacks the unfailing rhythm that would make it a good read-aloud choice. Bach’s monsters are more cuddly than scary, which may add some appeal for younger readers.
Pass on this party unless tame titles for the preschool set are needed. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 5, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-4549-1051-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sterling
Review Posted Online: July 15, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Even given the paucity of books on Sukkot, this is one to skip.
The Jewish fall harvest festival celebrated in a temporary hut known as a sukkah is the focus of this slight story about sharing.
Having carefully selected several gourds to hang from the sukkah roof as decorations, Sara and Avi are dismayed when the hard-shelled vegetables begin to fall, split open and are ravaged by the squirrels in their yard. Sara’s anger inspires a dream she has that night in which the offending squirrel emerges to apologize and promises to bring new gourds the following year. Once awake, Sara imagines squirrels shopping for gourds at the local market and acknowledges their hunger with a pile of nuts carefully placed on the sukkah table. As the holiday ends, Sara makes sure the squirrels are well-fed throughout the year. When Sukkot rolls around again, Sara begins to clean up the patch of grass for the sukkah and is surprised to find a number of gourds growing there, sprouted from the seeds left by the squirrels the previous year. This contrivance—gourd vines are hard to miss, and does this family never mow?—fatally weakens the conclusion, with its implicit lesson of sharing. A more creative and endearing version of this theme can be found in Jamie Korngold’s Sadie’s Sukkah Breakfast (2011). Acrylic and graphite sketches in earthy tones add mild amusement to Sara’s infuriating dilemma, though they do nothing to mitigate the implausibility of Sara's discovery.
Even given the paucity of books on Sukkot, this is one to skip. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-7613-7503-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Kar-Ben
Review Posted Online: July 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2012
A suitable introduction for young children to the holiday.
Autumnal signs of leaves changing, squirrels foraging and hiding acorns, and cool breezes blowing announce another Jewish fall tradition: the harvest holiday of Sukkot.
Pleasant child-friendly paintings of autumn scenes in hues of orange, yellow, and brown illustrate the simple rhyming text with its repeated, anticipatory refrain “When leaves are all turning bright orange and red // and it’s time for the rakes to come out of our shed… / Sukkot is on its way.” As in the previous books in the series, Is It Passover Yet? and Is it Hanukkah Yet? (both 2015), Barash and Psacharopulo create the proper seasonal atmosphere to build enthusiasm and excitement for the upcoming celebration, focusing on the annual construction of the customary hut, or sukkah. Key aspects of the sukkah’s decorations and its special components, such as the natural, green branches for the open roof, the lemony-smelling etrog fruit, and the lulav branch, are mentioned without much explanation. The custom of having meals in the hut is not fully portrayed, though readers see the children sleeping on pillows and blankets in the sukkah while parents look on from the house—an odd choice. The focal family is pale-skinned, and they are joined by dark-skinned friends or family.
A suitable introduction for young children to the holiday. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-8075-3388-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Whitman
Review Posted Online: June 27, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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