Updated, Halloween-ready fairy-tale foolery.
The Superpigs continue their zany spins on classic fairy tales with a Halloween twist.
The Superpigs have settled on their costumes and are working on their performance for the Spooktacular Halloween Parade when they’re summoned by Hansel and Gretel to save the stolen candy from the Wicked Witch. Once at her gingerbread house, they’re alarmed to find their familiar foe, the Big Bad Wolf. Using their superskills, they save themselves and make it to the parade in style. Readers unfamiliar with the characters will wonder how the pigs come into their powers. At first, they seem completely and comically without super abilities. “Practice makes perfect,” the text quips, but does practice without magic make pigs fly? This element aside, Evans’ play on childhood classics uses just enough of the originals to make it familiar while still new. The Big Bad Wolf is a particularly fun character, surprising readers (and the pigs!), speaking in rhyme, and even showing up playfully at the end. The illustrations are bright and lively, depicting lots of fairy tale figures, with oranges and purples conveying an autumnal, evening mood. They’re also very detailed, particularly the candy-lined gingerbread house and its lawn full of jack-o’-lanterns. Most of the characters are not human, but Hansel and Gretel are depicted with brown skin. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Updated, Halloween-ready fairy-tale foolery. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: July 6, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-338-77063-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
Too many bugs, figuratively.
Lucy, “the youngest member of a family of fireflies,” must overcome an irrational, moon-induced anxiety in order to leave her family tree trunk and glow.
The first six pages pull readers into a lush, beautiful world of nighttime: “When the sun has set, silence falls over the Big Forest, and all of the nighttime animals wake up.” Mixed media provide an enchanting forest background, with stylized flora and fauna eventually illuminated by a large, benign moon, because the night “doesn’t like to catch them by surprise.” Turning the page catches readers by surprise, though: the family of fireflies is decidedly comical and silly-looking. Similarly, the text moves from a lulling, magical cadence to a distinct shift in mood as the bugs ready themselves for their foray into the night: “They wave their bottoms in the air, wiggle their feelers, take a deep, deep breath, and sing, ‘Here we go, it’s time to glow!’ ” It’s an acceptable change, but more unevenness follows. Lucy’s excitement about finally joining the other bugs turns to “sobbing” two nights in a row. Instead of directly linking her behavior to understandable reactions of children to newness, the text undermines itself by making Lucy’s parents’ sweet reassurances impotent and using the grandmother’s scientific explanation of moonlight as an unnecessary metaphor. Further detracting from the story, the text becomes ever denser and more complex over the book’s short span.
Too many bugs, figuratively. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2015
ISBN: 978-84-16147-00-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Cuento de Luz
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2015
An Otto-rly successful modern Christmas story.
A glitzy ornament searches for a tree worthy of him but finds his real place where he least expects it.
“Merry Christmas, bulbs and baubles! I’m Otto! I’m here to bedeck the heck out of your tree!” And “bedeck the heck” he tries! When Otto is told there’s space for him in the middle of the tree, he scoffs—only the top will do for an ornament like him. After he mocks his fellow ornaments, they refuse to make room for him, so he heads out to look for a new place to shine. He takes a scarring tumble down into the sewer, where he encounters an unlikely precious item. Returning with his find, Otto no longer sparkles but still manages to shine at home on the tree. This is a well-paced, appealing tale that will make for a great preschool read-aloud come December. Arrogant Otto has a satisfying redemptive arc that will resonate with readers. The dialogue and wordplay are pitch-perfect, bringing the characters to life. A mix of cartoonish vignettes and full-page spreads effectively depicts action and movement. Otto is multicolored and patterned with big eyes and a winning grin; the other ornaments on the tree also have personalities that match their styles. The few humans who appear are racially diverse. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
An Otto-rly successful modern Christmas story. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9780593481202
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Aug. 15, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2023
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