Aside from rhythmic bumps in her poetry, McConnell offers a Halloween picture-book adventure to stir the imagination,...
In their picture book for readers aged 4 to 8, first-time author McConnell and artist-illustrator Gregory put the “treat” in trick-or-treat with a sweet Halloween tale that takes an unexpected turn as a little boy discovers his best friend’s bewitching secret.
Told in colorful if uneven verse, McConnell’s first children’s book is, at its kind heart, a tale of friendship between a caring little boy and a mysterious little girl. “Friends for life” after Marlin dives to the rescue when Marsipity’s chair tips over in class, the pair can’t wait for Halloween to roll around. They missed out the year before due to the unfortunate Marsipity, “who tucked in tight in bed that night / missed Halloween in all its fright / with chicken pox, a stuffy nose / an achy tummy, and stubby toes / all together in illness throes.” This year, to Marlin’s surprise, Marsipity delays their much anticipated trick-or-treat adventure after a fortifying dinner of soup and bread by insisting on dessert. Not just any dessert as it happens, but a slice of Halloween pumpkin pie that transforms Marsipity into a little green witch—“her eyes they twinkle as her nose a wrinkle / begins to crease the end. / Wobbly and wimbly her legs go quite spindly.” The transformation complete, the pair sets out on a broom-flying, moonlit romp through the neighborhood, much to Marlin’s delight. McConnell has wisely teamed with accomplished artist Gregory, whose eye-filling illustrations—hand-drawn and digitally colored—resemble soft watercolor paintings that generously elevate the story’s homespun charm. Nine pages without text allow Gregory free rein to gorgeously render the pair’s supernatural adventure, followed by a wrap-up to readers in rhyme, nicely capped by McConnell with a gentle wink to Marsipity’s dessert of choice.
Aside from rhythmic bumps in her poetry, McConnell offers a Halloween picture-book adventure to stir the imagination, enhanced by Gregory’s beautifully rendered illustrations.Pub Date: June 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0615300092
Page Count: 36
Publisher: Olive Leaf
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2011
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own...
The sturdy Little Blue Truck is back for his third adventure, this time delivering Christmas trees to his band of animal pals.
The truck is decked out for the season with a Christmas wreath that suggests a nose between headlights acting as eyeballs. Little Blue loads up with trees at Toad’s Trees, where five trees are marked with numbered tags. These five trees are counted and arithmetically manipulated in various ways throughout the rhyming story as they are dropped off one by one to Little Blue’s friends. The final tree is reserved for the truck’s own use at his garage home, where he is welcomed back by the tree salestoad in a neatly circular fashion. The last tree is already decorated, and Little Blue gets a surprise along with readers, as tiny lights embedded in the illustrations sparkle for a few seconds when the last page is turned. Though it’s a gimmick, it’s a pleasant surprise, and it fits with the retro atmosphere of the snowy country scenes. The short, rhyming text is accented with colored highlights, red for the animal sounds and bright green for the numerical words in the Christmas-tree countdown.
Little Blue’s fans will enjoy the animal sounds and counting opportunities, but it’s the sparkling lights on the truck’s own tree that will put a twinkle in a toddler’s eyes. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 23, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-544-32041-3
Page Count: 24
Publisher: HMH Books
Review Posted Online: Aug. 11, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2014
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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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