For youngsters working on self-control (a school-readiness skill), Stewart does…eventually…learn that good things come to...
Stewart, from This Monster Needs a Haircut (2012), is going camping for the first time, and he (literally) cannot wait.
The camping trip is five whole days away. That is agony for such an impulsive and excitable monster. (Even on the title page, he’s already urging readers to “Just read the book already!”) In the hopes of speeding things up, Stewart paints the clocks, changes the calendar and even builds a time machine—but nothing works. Then Stewart realizes that if he could just make the end of the story come faster, camping would come faster too! Crumbling the fourth wall for readers, he reaches down to tug at the corners of the pages, while eagerly ripping another completely in half. Fortunately, Stewart’s parents are not amused and make him tape the book back together. Toothy and unkempt, with wild eyes and a temper tantrum of a roar—“I wanna go camping NOW!”—Stewart fully embodies a preschooler who has not yet mastered the art of waiting. Barton’s sprawling, hand-lettered text and its buoyant placement match the urgency of Stewart’s desperation. Patience is certainly a virtue, and one that is difficult to learn.
For youngsters working on self-control (a school-readiness skill), Stewart does…eventually…learn that good things come to those who wait. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 18, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3779-2
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 26, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2013
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Ostensibly aimed at very young children, the concepts and text have something a tad middle-aged about them, making this a...
Although this book deals in circularity, there is something oddly square about the concept and the language.
The joke of the book is that in the town of Round, where everything is circular, a Triangle comes to try to change the circles into angular shapes. His efforts are ultimately unsuccessful, and the Circles are affirmed in their circularity. Triangle realizes that “this market could never be cornered.” This and several other puns will likely present a challenge to older children and will certainly pass over the heads of the young children to whom this book appears to be directed. The illustrations are problematic as well. Strips of colored paper are rolled, curled and folded into silhouettes and then photographed. The book is not helped by the uneven quality of the photography. For a book like this to work, the photographs of strips of paper in various configurations would need to be a good deal sharper and easier on the eye, as well as treated more consistently with regard to shadows and orientation. The generally heavy shadows and dull colors give the book a morose rather than cheery cast. The central illustration that shows the intrusive Triangle falls unfortunately in midspread and casts a heavy shadow, making it quite hard to interpret.
Ostensibly aimed at very young children, the concepts and text have something a tad middle-aged about them, making this a messy miss. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-927018-18-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Simply Read
Review Posted Online: June 25, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2013
Unfortunately, the plot will only leave them wondering at the point of it all.
Lacking in focus and a sense of purpose, Hardy’s initially promising story of a sisterly squabble ultimately disappoints.
It’s Rose’s birthday, and she is hosting a fairy and princess party in which all guests must don pink wings and a tutu. Her somber sister Izzy refuses and decides to set up a spooky tea party of her own in the attic. She decorates with dead roses and spiders, invites her imaginary friend V and delights in the absolute un-pinkness of it all. Then Rose drops by to deliver some pink cupcakes, which Izzy rejects, and accidentally sits on V. The sisters get into a skirmish—Rose proclaiming that Izzy’s party is not a real tea party and Izzy insisting that Rose is not a real fairy. During a tussle over Rose’s magic wand, Izzy’s cat is turned into a pink dragon. Inexplicably, the sisters join forces at this point and decide to go down to Rose’s party after all, and it looks like the pink dragon will be joining them. The appealing illustrations, which successfully dramatize the sisters’ strikingly different tastes and personalities, may draw some readers to the story.
Unfortunately, the plot will only leave them wondering at the point of it all. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: April 12, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-670-01320-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Feb. 4, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2012
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