A fable that attempts a spirit of community and loyalty but falls a bit flat in storytelling.
When a young prince is captured, the townspeople come to his aid in a surprising way.
In the dark of night, strangers armed with guns sail to the land of Avala and seize the city. They grab the boy prince, still in his red pajamas, and imprison him in a tall tower. With the help of a sneaky canine, the prince escapes but must travel far to get back to his city. Like a cardinal in a stark winter scene, his red pajamas stand out against the snow, making him easy to track. When he finally gets home, the strangers are closing in. However, he flings open the city gates, and all his people are dressed head to toe in red. “The prince was invisible in a sea of brilliant color.” The crimson crowd spills over an immense, wordless double-page spread, hiding the prince and bringing him to safety. However, in a strange, final reach for tension that feels as though it were added to meet page count, the prince separates himself from the crowd to chase his dog and is cornered by the strangers once again, necessitating that the townspeople save him a second time. The prince and his royal parents are white, as are most, though not all, of the citizens of Avala.
A fable that attempts a spirit of community and loyalty but falls a bit flat in storytelling. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Oct. 18, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7636-8912-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2016
There’s a sly edginess to characters who’ll do anything to be eaten, but this particular pickled sourpuss loses his tang as...
As some ingredients have more flavor before cooking, this edible protagonist has more flavor before he learns his lesson.
The punny title’s “caper” is a brined flower bud, the kind that lands on plates for eating—well, eating by some people. “[A] caper is a tiny pickled sourpuss, who lives in a jar in your fridge and is never eaten by children.” Adults effuse, “Ciao, Mr. Caper, delicioso!!!” and, “Ya Meester Caper, ve luv you!!!” But the grouchy caper seethes with jealousy of a tall red lollipop who’s desired by children. So Mr. Caper executes a caper—he sneaks into a factory and pours a beaker of green liquid—caper flavoring—into vats of lollipop batter in order to make unwitting children “appreciate my complex flavor.” Worldwide, children lick green lollies, turn green with nausea and start “acting in the most appalling ways.” They upend trash cans, stick out their tongues and bring home bad grades. Moral: Capers can only ever be an acquired taste, and this remorseful one must wait until the kids grow up. Krall’s shiny digital illustrations are cartoony and bold, with some Grinch-like expressions and dramatic composition. One Everykid-likes-lollipops spread could be straight from Disney’s “It’s a Small World.”
There’s a sly edginess to characters who’ll do anything to be eaten, but this particular pickled sourpuss loses his tang as he lowers his expectations. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: May 7, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-4424-4460-7
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2013
Don’t be hornswoggled—give this the heave-ho and seek pirate (and school) booty elsewhere.
Demas’ latest throws together adult pirates and regular kids at school, but the combination doesn't really mesh, making it unsuccessful either at familiarizing kids with school or providing swashbuckling entertainment.
Readers follow the antics of a crew of pirates through a typical elementary school day. They hang their swords in the coatroom, make clay cannonballs in art class, share treasure maps at show-and-tell time, have squid for lunch, snore through nap time, get scolded for swearing at recess and clean up at the end of the day. “Pirates learn their letters: / X (marks the spot), Y, Z. / Pirates learn arithmetic: / Two skulls plus one is three.” While Demas’ rhymes mostly rollick, a few miss the beat, and the parrots’ habit of repeating everything after the pirates gets a little old. Manders’ watercolor, gouache and colored pencil artwork is delightfully silly, full of details that maximize the incongruity of the contrast between pirates and kindergartners. But he ultimately fails to bring the pirates and kids together, creating a separation that dooms the book—the kids are merely uncertain and insecure onlookers to the pirates’ activities.
Don’t be hornswoggled—give this the heave-ho and seek pirate (and school) booty elsewhere. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: July 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-545-20629-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 2011
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