A well-illustrated book for youngsters that will reinforce ecologically friendly household habits and hopefully inspire new...
The third installment in Bronstein’s (Stewie BOOM! Starts School, 2015, etc.) engaging children’s book series focuses on the precocious titular protagonist and his family “going green.”
Stewie and his sister, Princess Penelope, like to do experiments with food, household products, and whatever else they can get their hands on. When they mix up a “big batch of goop” that stinks really bad, they toss it out the window and forget about it. The next morning, though, they get in trouble when their parents find that the yard has turned brown and the dogs green. After Stewie tells his parents about the goop, which they made from things from the kitchen, such as fake-cheese chips, window cleaner, and dog shampoo, he and his sister learn how many products in their home contain potentially dangerous chemicals. Stewie comes up with a great idea: to “hunt down all the yucky things in the house” and replace them with ecologically friendly alternatives. Thus begins a revelatory experience as the kids examine the many products in their home. The narrative doesn’t offer up anything new or innovative in its ideas to help children go green; instead, it includes relatively simplistic notions, such as turning off lights when leaving a room, taking shorter showers, and composting. Still, the book will undoubtedly kick-start conversations with children about environmental stewardship and, at the very least, compel them to look at the world around them in a different light. It’s obviously lovingly produced, and its full-color illustrations are exceptional. Overall, this latest installment in Bronstein’s Stewie BOOM! saga proves to be an “eweey, gooey” beginner’s guide to going green.
A well-illustrated book for youngsters that will reinforce ecologically friendly household habits and hopefully inspire new ones.Pub Date: July 18, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-9963074-8-2
Page Count: 58
Publisher: Nothing But The Truth Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 26, 2016
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Menacing and most likely to appeal to established fans of its co-creators.
Existing artwork from an artistic giant inspires a fairy-tale reimagination by a master of the horror genre.
In King’s interpretation of a classic Brothers Grimm story, which accompanies set and costume designs that the late Sendak created for a 1997 production of Engelbert Humperdinck’s opera, siblings Hansel and Gretel survive abandonment in the woods and an evil witch’s plot to gobble them up before finding their “happily ever after” alongside their father. Prose with the reassuring cadence of an old-timey tale, paired with Sendak’s instantly recognizable artwork, will lull readers before capitalizing on these creators’ knack for injecting darkness into seemingly safe spaces. Gaping faces loom in crevices of rocks and trees, and a gloomy palette of muted greens and ocher amplify the story’s foreboding tone, while King never sugarcoats the peach-skinned children’s peril. Branches with “clutching fingers” hide “the awful enchanted house” of a “child-stealing witch,” all portrayed in an eclectic mix of spot and full-bleed images. Featuring insults that might strike some as harsh (“idiot,” “fool”), the lengthy, dense text may try young readers’ patience, and the often overwhelmingly ominous mood feels more pitched to adults—particularly those familiar with King and Sendak—but an introduction acknowledges grandparents as a likely audience, and nostalgia may prompt leniency over an occasional disconnect between words and art.
Menacing and most likely to appeal to established fans of its co-creators. (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: Sept. 2, 2025
ISBN: 9780062644695
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2025
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs.
The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement.
When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves—during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Once the professionals are brought in, the problems keep getting worse: angry neighbors, terrifying problems in walls, and—most serious—civil permitting issues that put the kibosh on what work’s been done. Left with only enough inheritance to patch and repair the exterior of the house—and with the school’s dismal standardized test scores as a final straw—Greg’s mom steers the family toward moving, opening up house-hunting and house-selling storylines (and devastating loyal Rowley, who doesn’t want to lose his best friend). While Greg’s positive about the move, he’s not completely uncaring about Rowley’s action. (And of course, Greg himself is not as unaffected as he wishes.) The gags include effectively placed callbacks to seemingly incidental events (the “stress lizard” brought in on testing day is particularly funny) and a lampoon of after-school-special–style problem books. Just when it seems that the Heffleys really will move, a new sequence of chaotic trouble and property destruction heralds a return to the status quo. Whew.
Readers can still rely on this series to bring laughs. (Graphic/fiction hybrid. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 5, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4197-3903-3
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Amulet/Abrams
Review Posted Online: Nov. 18, 2019
SEEN & HEARD
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
