Imaginative readers will pore over the illustrations for much longer than one reading.
The trilogy of picture books about Julia’s peripatetic House for Lost Creatures ends with this title, in which kindness begets kindness.
In trilogy opener Julia’s House for Lost Creatures (2014), Julia, who presents White, opens her home to a world of phantasmagorical creatures. In sequel Julia’s House Moves On (2020), the house literally goes on a journey, taking the home and all its inhabitants with it. And now at last, the house has found the Perfect Spot to settle down. With the first two books, Julia’s openness and kindness lead to kerfuffles and conundrums. In this final title, the house plunges down a craggy mountain and is left in total ruins, with only the sign, a doorknob, and the front door remaining. Hatke’s lavish watercolor illustrations are magnetic and spirited, as the menagerie of curious and strange creatures are strewn all over the land. What to do? The answer lies in Julia’s open and unquestioning acceptance of every creature found on the pages. A unicorn? “We’ll make room.” A cemetery full of ghosts? “Just follow me.” Even Julia’s optimism crumbles when she finds she’s led creature friends both old and new to a junkyard instead of a home. But her unfailing welcome to all, even when it leads to quandaries, is a rare treasure, bringing friendship and support back to her in spades. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Imaginative readers will pore over the illustrations for much longer than one reading. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 28, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-250-76932-9
Page Count: 48
Publisher: First Second
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Chilling in the best ways.
When a young rabbit who’s struggling in school finds a helpful crayon, everything is suddenly perfect—until it isn’t.
Jasper is flunking everything except art and is desperate for help when he finds the crayon. “Purple. Pointy…perfect”—and alive. When Jasper watches TV instead of studying, he misspells every word on his spelling test, but the crayon seems to know the answers, and when he uses the crayon to write, he can spell them all. When he faces a math quiz after skipping his homework, the crayon aces it for him. Jasper is only a little creeped out until the crayon changes his art—the one area where Jasper excels—into something better. As guilt-ridden Jasper receives accolade after accolade for grades and work that aren’t his, the crayon becomes more and more possessive of Jasper’s attention and affection, and it is only when Jasper cannot take it anymore that he discovers just what he’s gotten himself into. Reynolds’ text might as well be a Rod Serling monologue for its perfectly paced foreboding and unsettling tension, both gentled by lightly ominous humor. Brown goes all in to match with a grayscale palette for everything but the purple crayon—a callback to black-and-white sci-fi thrillers as much as a visual cue for nascent horror readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Chilling in the best ways. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-5344-6588-6
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 24, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2022
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
PERSPECTIVES
A spellbinding tale that encourages readers to accept—and celebrate—what makes us different.
A bespectacled young witch longs for a cat but ends up with something unexpected.
Though Wilma is excited for her first feline pet, when she goes to the Beast Buddies Pet Shop there are no more cats; instead, she is offered a wombat. She begrudgingly takes the dumpy, snoozy chum but worries: “Everyone else brings cats to school. Cats have been friends to witches for centuries. What a cat-tastrophe!” Unfortunately, Wombat is afraid of heights, which makes mastering Broom-Flying Basics a challenge; can’t perch on the edge of a cauldron during Brewing Potions for Beginners; and doesn’t stay in the required spell boundary zone, causing a spell to go disastrously wrong. Wilma is so frustrated she wishes Wombat would disappear. And Wombat does just that—by burrowing deep into the ground. Sprinkled with wombat facts (Wilma’s remembering that wombat scat is cube-shaped helps her follow a trail of poop to find her pal), this is a winning testament to true friendship. Wilma sets aside her assumptions of what a witch’s companion should look like and realizes just how wonderful Wombat truly is. This is a not-so-spooky tale perfect for Halloween and beyond. Wilma has bluish-black hair and pale skin among a diverse class. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A spellbinding tale that encourages readers to accept—and celebrate—what makes us different. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 4, 2023
ISBN: 9780593569634
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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