A well-crafted, important social tale with real-world relevance.
A strange creature strips citizens of their privacy in this picture book.
The Eyemonger, a creature with “one-hundred-three eyes,” comes to town, vowing to keep citizens safe. They readily accept the Eyemonger’s watchful eyes and “elect him to lead” but soon become uncomfortable by their decreasing privacy as the creature constantly watches them from a tower. He even sends winged eyeballs to peer into homes and buildings. Although the citizens voice their distress, the Eyemonger refuses to stop. When a light-skinned citizen named Griffin boards up his windows, the Eyemonger is infuriated. He believes Griffin is hiding something and returns with an army of rhinos to knock down his home. When the Eyemonger notices that Griffin’s paintings were ruined in the raid, he realizes he made a mistake. He apologizes to Griffin and says from now on, he will “look only when you want me to see.” Solove expertly underscores the importance of personal privacy in a way that young readers will understand. Offering reminders like “Privacy is essential. We all need some time when nobody sees,” the tale serves as a metaphor for a significant social issue. Beckwith’s appealing illustrations skillfully mirror the story’s mood. For example, as citizens grow weary of the Eyemonger’s violations, the images feature gloomier tones. The excellent backdrops include brick buildings, bustling streets, and multicolored skies. Up-close depictions of fantasy elements, like the Eyemonger’s appearance as a purple, mustachioed, waistcoat-wearing creature, are particularly clever.
A well-crafted, important social tale with real-world relevance.Pub Date: Nov. 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-578-80268-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Griffin Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share.
In this latest in the series, Little Blue Truck, driven by pal Toad, is challenged to a countryside race by Racer Red, a sleek, low-slung vehicle.
Blue agrees, and the race is on. Although the two start off “hood to hood / and wheel to wheel,” they switch positions often as they speed their way over dusty country roads. Blue’s farm friends follow along to share in the excitement and shout out encouragement; adult readers will have fun voicing the various animal sounds. Short rhyming verses on each page and several strategic page turns add drama to the narrative, but soft, mottled effects in the otherwise colorful illustrations keep the competition from becoming too intense. Racer Red crosses the finish line first, but Blue is a gracious loser, happy to have worked hard. That’s a new concept for Racer Red, who’s laser-focused on victory but takes Blue’s words (“win or lose, it’s fun to try!”) to heart—a revelation that may lead to worthwhile storytime discussions. When Blue’s farm animal friends hop into the truck for the ride home, Racer Red tags along and learns a second lesson, one about speed. “Fast is fun, / and slow is too, / as long as you’re / with friends.”
A friendship tale with solid messaging and plenty of fun sounds to share. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: March 25, 2025
ISBN: 9780063387843
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 18, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A kind child in a book for middle-grade readers? There’s no downside to that.
Beatrice Zinker is a kinder, gentler Judy Moody.
Beatrice doesn’t want to be fit in a box. Her first word was “WOW,” not “Mom.” She does her best thinking upside down and prefers to dress like a ninja. Like Judy Moody, she has patient parents and a somewhat annoying younger brother. (She also has a perfectly ordinary older sister.) Beatrice spends all summer planning a top-secret spy operation complete with secret codes and a secret language (pig Latin). But on the first day of third grade, her best friend, Lenny (short for Eleanor), shows up in a dress, with a new friend who wants to play veterinarian at recess. Beatrice, essentially a kind if somewhat quirky kid, struggles to see the upside of the situation and ends up with two friends instead of one. Line drawings on almost every spread add to the humor and make the book accessible to readers who might otherwise balk at its 160 pages. Thankfully, the rhymes in the text do not continue past the first chapter. Children will enjoy the frequent puns and Beatrice’s preference for climbing trees and hanging upside down. The story drifts dangerously close to pedantry when Beatrice asks for advice from a grandmotherly neighbor but is saved by likable characters and upside-down cake. Beatrice seems to be white; Lenny’s surname, Santos, suggests that she may be Latina; their school is a diverse one.
A kind child in a book for middle-grade readers? There’s no downside to that. (Fiction. 6-10)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4847-6738-2
Page Count: 160
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Review Posted Online: July 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2017
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