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MORE THAN ENOUGH

A delightful, modern take on an ancient tradition.

A modern family enjoys every part of the Passover festival.

Buying apples and walnuts and more at an outdoor farmers market is already sufficient to make the holiday a success. Adopting a kitten and running home in the gentle rain, making the charoset together, dressing up in special clothes, and going across the way to Nana’s house would also be enough. When they gather with family and friends, presenting the symbolic Seder plate, asking the four questions, eating delicious foods, searching for and finding the hidden matzo, singing and “baa”ing to “Chad Gadya,” and opening the door for Elijah, it is so much more than enough to make a special memory. Wayland employs flowing, descriptive language that sets each scene and captures the essence of the holiday. The text is set in the delightfully named Chaloops typeface, which nicely matches the exuberance of the tale. The expression “Dayenu,” meaning “enough” or “sufficient,” appears in large red letters at the end of each small episode and provides emphasis and continuity. (The cheerful, catchy song of the same name lists the horrific plagues visited on the Egyptians and indicates that the Jews would have been grateful for any one of them if it eased their way out of slavery.) Kath’s fresh, perky watercolors perfectly match the joyous tone of the text.

A delightful, modern take on an ancient tradition. (glossary, author’s note) (Picture book. 3-7)

Pub Date: March 15, 2016

ISBN: 978-0-8037-4126-3

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Dial Books

Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2016

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DR. SEUSS'S HOW THE GRINCH LOST CHRISTMAS!

It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property.

Since a reformed Grinch is hardly any fun, this follow-up Grinches him up once more.

Those seeking more of the same, prepare to receive precisely that. Christmas is coming (again!), and the Grinch can hardly wait. He’s been patient all year, and now he can finally show the Whos down in Who-ville how much he’s changed. When the Grinch learns of a tree-decorating contest, he figures that if he wins, it’ll prove he truly has the Christmas spirit. He throws himself into the task, but when it comes time to judge the trees, the Grinch is horrified to discover that he’s received only the second-place trophy. Can Cindy-Lou Who find the words to save the day? Replicating many of the original beats and wordplay of the original, this tale feels like less a sequel and more like a vaguely rewritten variation. Meanwhile, Ruiz’s art seeks to bridge the gap between the animated Chuck Jones version of the Grinch and the one depicted in the original book. This thankless task results in a strange uncanny valley between Seuss and Jones but does allow the artist a chance to colorize everything and lend some racial diversity to the Who population (Cindy-Lou is light-skinned). (This book was reviewed digitally.)

It’s not whether you win or lose; it’s how many mediocre sequels you can squeeze out of Seussian property. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023

ISBN: 9780593563168

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023

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LOVE FROM THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR

Safe to creep on by.

Carle’s famous caterpillar expresses its love.

In three sentences that stretch out over most of the book’s 32 pages, the (here, at least) not-so-ravenous larva first describes the object of its love, then describes how that loved one makes it feel before concluding, “That’s why… / I[heart]U.” There is little original in either visual or textual content, much of it mined from The Very Hungry Caterpillar. “You are… / …so sweet,” proclaims the caterpillar as it crawls through the hole it’s munched in a strawberry; “…the cherry on my cake,” it says as it perches on the familiar square of chocolate cake; “…the apple of my eye,” it announces as it emerges from an apple. Images familiar from other works join the smiling sun that shone down on the caterpillar as it delivers assurances that “you make… / …the sun shine brighter / …the stars sparkle,” and so on. The book is small, only 7 inches high and 5 ¾ inches across when closed—probably not coincidentally about the size of a greeting card. While generations of children have grown up with the ravenous caterpillar, this collection of Carle imagery and platitudinous sentiment has little of his classic’s charm. The melding of Carle’s caterpillar with Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE on the book’s cover, alas, draws further attention to its derivative nature.

Safe to creep on by. (Picture book. 3-6)

Pub Date: Dec. 15, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-448-48932-2

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap

Review Posted Online: Feb. 1, 2021

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