A funny toddler-friendly picture book that provides some immediate excitement but not much lasting impact.
Wish extra hard and a unicorn might just appear in Lim’s second picture book.
According to the book, to summon a unicorn you must draw a heart and wish hard. You have to make sure that you concentrate, however, or you may end up with a farting unicorn instead. But once you have a unicorn, what do you do with it? The author tells us that if we don’t give the unicorn a purpose, this magical pet will be sad and confused. It may take some effort to get on good terms with your unicorn, but if successful, the interaction can go anywhere: They might show you their favorite things, introduce you to their family members, or do something else entirely. This unique book breaks the fourth wall and addresses the reader as if they’re a participant in the story, prompting them to do things like “[p]inch your nose and count to 10!” when the unicorn farts. Unfortunately, the story doesn’t have much direction. Each individual activity, from the vacuum cleaner show and tell to the brief message about the importance of wearing a mask to prevent the spread of disease, seems too random, even for children. Shobaru’s illustrations, however, are bright, bold, and colorful enough to attract and hold the attention of the 2- and 3-year-olds who will enjoy the playful silliness of this story.
A funny toddler-friendly picture book that provides some immediate excitement but not much lasting impact.Pub Date: N/A
ISBN: 9789811851032
Page Count: 46
Publisher: Wishing Book Company
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A wandering effort, happy but pointless.
The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.
Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.
A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A nice but not requisite purchase.
A retelling of the classic fairy tale in board-book format and with a Mexican setting.
Though simplified for a younger audience, the text still relates the well-known tale: mean-spirited stepmother, spoiled stepsisters, overworked Cinderella, fairy godmother, glass slipper, charming prince, and, of course, happily-ever-after. What gives this book its flavor is the artwork. Within its Mexican setting, the characters are olive-skinned and dark-haired. Cultural references abound, as when a messenger comes carrying a banner announcing a “FIESTA” in beautiful papel picado. Cinderella is the picture of beauty, with her hair up in ribbons and flowers and her typically Mexican many-layered white dress. The companion volume, Snow White, set in Japan and illustrated by Misa Saburi, follows the same format. The simplified text tells the story of the beautiful princess sent to the forest by her wicked stepmother to be “done away with,” the dwarves that take her in, and, eventually, the happily-ever-after ending. Here too, what gives the book its flavor is the artwork. The characters wear traditional clothing, and the dwarves’ house has the requisite shoji screens, tatami mats and cherry blossoms in the garden. The puzzling question is, why the board-book presentation? Though the text is simplified, it’s still beyond the board-book audience, and the illustrations deserve full-size books.
A nice but not requisite purchase. (Board book/fairy tale. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 13, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-7915-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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