Double the fun for storytime or math lessons.
A light, rhyming story imagines if Cinderella had a lesser-known twin sister.
Schwartz, author of Ninja Red Riding Hood (illustrated by Dan Santat, 2014) and Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears (illustrated by Nate Wragg, 2014), knows how to spin a fractured fairy tale. Touting itself as a “fractioned fairy tale,” however, this take on “Cinderella” proclaims that readers familiar only with the original story “don’t know the half of it!” Breezy, pun-filled rhymes introduce Cinderella’s twin, Tinderella, who uses math to divide their wicked stepmother’s chore list in half. The fraction theme continues as the girls divide and conquer tending to the mean stepsisters, splitting meager meals, and sharing a bed. And when Prince Charming announces a ball to find himself a bride and their fairy godmother comes to their rescue, the twins know how to divide the trinkets and coach in half. Vibrant, digitally enhanced illustrations rendered in ink, gouache, and watercolor capture all the merriment until, just as in the original tale, one smitten prince is left with one shoe. Since a prince can’t be divided, Tinderella, ever the mathematician, asks the fairy godmother to double him. A fitting ending explains how Cinderella and her prince became famous and wound up on the throne while Tinderella and her prince won the kingdom’s math awards and kept fractions flourishing with baby quadruplets. With the possible exception of some dark faces in crowd scenes, the cast is an all-white one.
Double the fun for storytime or math lessons. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-399-17633-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: June 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
A sweet, springtime-themed reworking of a beloved tale.
The classic picture book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) gets a makeover for Easter as the letters of the alphabet locate and decorate eggs.
The mission is simple: “Chicka chicka peek peek. / Everybody seek seek! / Find all the eggs / in the pretty pink tree.” The letters are making their way up the flowering tree in search of the hidden eggs when a “SNEEZE!” scatters everyone and the eggs fall and crack. Luckily, a bunny hops by with a haul of new ones, which the letters then paint and bedazzle, eventually sharing the newly decorated eggs with a group of bunnies. This picture book is a successfully Easter-fied version of the original: The letters go up; the letters fall down. Truly, though, that’s all the preschool crowd needs. Chung’s illustrations are simple and familiar, a direct echo of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. The letters appear in colorful, bold, block form. The book has few added details, just focal images like the tree and its pink flowers, the colorful eggs, tufts of grass, and some friendly rabbits. The alphabet appears in order (both upper- and lowercase letters) at the book’s open and close. The rhyming text follows the iconic cadence of the source material, making for a worthy read-aloud that will keep little hands turning pages.
A sweet, springtime-themed reworking of a beloved tale. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Jan. 20, 2026
ISBN: 9781665990646
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
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BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A bit predictable but pleasantly illustrated.
Bill Martin Jr and John Archambault’s classic alphabet book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (1989) gets the Halloween treatment.
Chung follows the original formula to the letter. In alphabetical order, each letter climbs to the top of a tree. They are knocked back to the ground in a jumble before climbing up in sequence again. In homage to the spooky holiday theme, they scale a “creaky old tree,” and a ghostly jump scare causes the pileup. The chunky, colorful art is instantly recognizable. The charmingly costumed letters (“H swings a tail. / I wears a patch. J and K don / bows that don’t match”) are set against a dark backdrop, framed by pages with orange or purple borders. The spreads feature spiderwebs and jack-o’-lanterns. The familiar rhyme cadence is marred by the occasional clunky or awkward phrase; in particular, the adapted refrain of “Chicka chicka tricka treat” offers tongue-twisting fun, but it’s repeatedly followed by the disappointing half-rhyme “Everybody sneaka sneak.” Even this odd construction feels shoehorned into place, since “sneaking” makes little sense when every character in the book is climbing together. The final line of the book ends on a more satisfying note, with “Everybody—time to eat!”
A bit predictable but pleasantly illustrated. (Picture book. 3-7)Pub Date: July 15, 2025
ISBN: 9781665954785
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Beach Lane/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: March 22, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2025
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