Breathes radiant new life into a classic story.
In this retelling of a Pakistani folktale, a spirited princess teaches her father a lesson about love.
In the Kingdom of Zammarud, four princesses live with their father, the king, beneath “a sky studded with diamonds.” While the elder three are graceful models of conventional femininity, the fourth, Princess Amal, is mischievous, clumsy, and quick with a witty retort. One day, the king asks his daughters to describe their love for him. While the eldest princesses compare their affection for their father to sugar, honey, and sherbet, Amal says that her love is “as plain and simple as the salt on this table.” Humiliated that his daughter would so publicly compare him to “something as common as salt,” the king banishes Amal. After fleeing to the forest, Amal befriends a prince with “kind, worried eyes.” After the two fall in love and contemplate marriage, Amal decides to play a prank on her estranged father—one that might repair their relationship. In an author’s note, Syed explains that “The Salt Princess” has been retold by cultures all around the world; with her version, she wanted to grapple with the king’s desire for social approval—something common in many South Asian communities. Amal’s playfulness, wittiness, and independence come through clearly in Syed’s elegant prose, while her jewel-toned illustrations, surrounded by intricate borders or set against vivid backdrops, are a visual delight.
Breathes radiant new life into a classic story. (Urdu and Roman Urdu versions of the story, translated by Humera Syed) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 1, 2025
ISBN: 9780063324718
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: March 8, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2025
PERSPECTIVES
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
A brisk if bland offering for series fans, but cleverer metafictive romps abound.
The titular cookie runs off the page at a bookstore storytime, pursued by young listeners and literary characters.
Following on 13 previous How To Catch… escapades, Wallace supplies sometimes-tortured doggerel and Elkerton, a set of helter-skelter cartoon scenes. Here the insouciant narrator scampers through aisles, avoiding a series of elaborate snares set by the racially diverse young storytime audience with help from some classic figures: “Alice and her mad-hat friends, / as a gift for my unbirthday, / helped guide me through the walls of shelves— / now I’m bound to find my way.” The literary helpers don’t look like their conventional or Disney counterparts in the illustrations, but all are clearly identified by at least a broad hint or visual cue, like the unnamed “wizard” who swoops in on a broom to knock over a tower labeled “Frogwarts.” Along with playing a bit fast and loose with details (“Perhaps the boy with the magic beans / saved me with his cow…”) the author discards his original’s lip-smacking climax to have the errant snack circling back at last to his book for a comfier sort of happily-ever-after.
A brisk if bland offering for series fans, but cleverer metafictive romps abound. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-0935-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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