It’s formulaic, but the audience it’s carefully calculated to appeal to will probably adore it.
Anthropomorphic magical pegasuses go to a school for magical horses.
Aura, a “magical land” that’s “in a distant galaxy,” has four island realms (Winter, Spring, Day, and Night) that are populated by pegasuses. Some pegasuses are Melowies, marked with a hidden symbol on their wings that indicates magical abilities. Melowies are called to school at the Castle of Destiny in the clouds. Frontmatter details these realms, provides a map of the castle, and offers short profiles on the five main characters. The story opens on the day the new Melowies arrive—which is also the anniversary of Cleo’s arrival day (the day she was mysteriously found at the castle, origins unknown, with no Melowy mark). The book centers on Cleo and Maya, a shy pegasus from Spring. During the entrance test, Cleo mistakenly enters and, when Maya asks her to, stays to help—unsurprisingly, she ends up assisting all of the main characters. Though she wasn’t supposed to take the test, as Cleo passed it, she’s now a student. She’s then gifted a necklace she had when she was found—a mysterious locket that won’t open (at least not until a later book). The brightly colored pegasuses have unicorn horns, highly decorative wings, heavy eye makeup, and long, flowing manes—there is not a hint of subtlety about them. The epilogue’s twist foreshadows a threat to Aura.
It’s formulaic, but the audience it’s carefully calculated to appeal to will probably adore it. (Fantasy. 6-8)Pub Date: Jan. 30, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-15174-9
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: Nov. 12, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2017
A close encounter of the best kind.
Left behind when the space bus departs, a child discovers that the moon isn’t as lifeless as it looks.
While the rest of the space-suited class follows the teacher like ducklings, one laggard carrying crayons and a sketchbook sits down to draw our home planet floating overhead, falls asleep, and wakes to see the bus zooming off. The bright yellow bus, the gaggle of playful field-trippers, and even the dull gray boulders strewn over the equally dull gray lunar surface have a rounded solidity suggestive of Plasticine models in Hare’s wordless but cinematic scenes…as do the rubbery, one-eyed, dull gray creatures (think: those stress-busting dolls with ears that pop out when squeezed) that emerge from the regolith. The mutual shock lasts but a moment before the lunarians eagerly grab the proffered crayons to brighten the bland gray setting with silly designs. The creatures dive into the dust when the bus swoops back down but pop up to exchange goodbye waves with the errant child, who turns out to be an olive-skinned kid with a mop of brown hair last seen drawing one of their new friends with the one crayon—gray, of course—left in the box. Body language is expressive enough in this debut outing to make a verbal narrative superfluous.
A close encounter of the best kind. (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-8234-4253-9
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Margaret Ferguson/Holiday House
Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2019
Amusing but a little off tempo.
It’s important to hit all the right notes.
A tan-skinned musical composer with puffy black hair is busy at work on his next musical masterpiece when Half Note, a music symbol denoting two beats, feels unappreciated. Half Note is jealous of the more commonly used Quarter Note (one beat) and Eighth Note. Although the other musical symbols attempt to calm and comfort Half Note, she decides to run away. The next day, Composer needs Half Note and panics when he realizes that she’s gone. The other notes and musical symbols try to find her, but it’s only when they try to play her favorite song, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star,” without her—with terrible results—that she comes running back. The story’s humor—which is largely based on “dad joke” puns—is completely dependent on readers’ musical knowledge. The artwork, a mix of acrylic and colored pencil, attempts to add some allegrezza to the piece, and while it’s not unsuccessful, it’s facing an uphill battle. Music teachers and musically minded caregivers may find some value in this story, but it will likely be too specialized for general readers. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Amusing but a little off tempo. (glossary) (Picture book. 6-8)Pub Date: March 14, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-64567-631-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Page Street
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
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