Lighter-than-air fun.
A story of magic, sea voyages, and dandelions that isn’t all hot air.
Did you know that each year there’s one dandelion that’s full of magic? At least that’s what Jonah’s nana believes. She knows that it must be true because once she found one, blew away the fluffy seeds, and Jonah appeared. Today is a lucky day because Jonah has found this year’s magical dandelion! He’s going to need readers to help, though, to blow away the seeds and unlock the wonder. Readers blow, conjuring pirate ships, dragons, and pizza as Jonah sails for adventure. Thankfully, Super-Nana is nearby to help solve the spiraling problems that magic can sometimes create. Readers will blow, roar, and (best of all) make rude noises to help activate the magic and guide the fun. The interactive invitations are hardly new, but the story is both amusing and guided by convincingly childlike logic, and the right storyteller will have listeners laughing with anticipation for the next gag. Although the text is perfect for group sharing, the low contrast in the soft pastel illustrations suggests a relatively small group for best results. Readers close enough to take in Tatsukawa’s textured details will be beguiled. Jonah and his nana both have pale skin. His hair is shaggy and brown; hers is worn in a neat white bun. (This book was reviewed digitally with 9.5-by-19-inch double-page spreads viewed at actual size.)
Lighter-than-air fun. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: April 20, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-593-11290-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2021
Clever inspiration for bold-hearted storytellers.
Get comfy! This storyteller has just the right tale.
A beige-skinned elflike protagonist sits in the dark by a small fire and invites readers to listen to “THE GREATEST BEDTIME STORY EVER.” Quickly, we flash back to a scene of the elf, in pursuit of literary inspiration, foolishly following an eerie sound to a cave. There, our hero meets a fire-breathing dragon who is unable to sleep without a snack. Fearing the worst (the dragon is eyeing the elf hungrily), the elf offers to tell a bedtime story instead. After the narrator writes and illustrates a story and then reads it aloud, the dragon falls asleep. On the verge of escape, the storyteller suddenly comes to a horrible realization: “I had left behind the Greatest Bedtime Story Ever!” Returning for it, the protagonist steps on a bone, awakens the dragon, and is devoured by the creature. We never do learn what was in the tale told to the dragon, but the one the elf relates is absorbing, an entertaining metafictional riff on the challenges of storytelling. The abrupt conclusion may disturb more sensitive youngsters, but many will find it great fun—they’ll enjoy rereads knowing that the protagonist is narrating from the belly of the beast. Sima’s appealing digital art slyly alternates sweetness (the dragon clutching a plush toy while listening to the story) with tension and even scares (a close-up of that toothy dragon maw).
Clever inspiration for bold-hearted storytellers. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 9, 2026
ISBN: 9781665974523
Page Count: 56
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: May 18, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2026
Take strength from the dreamers before you and follow your dreams. Or maybe just roll the dice.
Is it a book about aspirations or the backstory for the board game?
Chickapig is defined as “an animal hybrid that is half-chicken and half-pig” and is depicted in yellow, two-legged chick shape with pink pig snout and ears. Young Joe Chickapig lives on a farm that was his grandfather’s dream, but it’s getting Joe down. He dreams of adventure but needs the “courage to follow his heart. / But how could he do it? How could he start?” In a bedtime story, Joe’s mother shares the influential characters that helped Joe’s sailor grandfather “follow his heart against the tide.” It seems that “Grandpa had heard a story told / Of a great big bear who broke the mold. / The bear was tired of striking fear”—so he became a forest doctor and a friend to all. And the bear’s inspiration? “A mouse who went to space.” The mouse, in turn, found hope in a “fierce young dragon” who joined a rock band. And coming full circle, the dragon found courage from a Chickapig warrior who “tired of shields and swords to wield” and established a farm. Chickapig game fans will appreciate this fanciful rhyming tale illustrated in attention-grabbing colors, but readers coming to it cold will note a distinct absence of plot. Mouse and dragon present female; all others are male.
Take strength from the dreamers before you and follow your dreams. Or maybe just roll the dice. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Jan. 14, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7944-4452-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Printers Row
Review Posted Online: Oct. 8, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019
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