by Darren Farrell ; illustrated by Darren Farrell ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 12, 2014
A terrific read-aloud; each repeat visit will ensure gleeful participation, as readers practice both tone and volume. A...
When a well-meaning octopus helps his buddy to bed, silliness ensues.
It’s “Bedtime ahoy” on this plump, little tugboat with Yellow Submarine–like appeal. Accordingly, the mates aboard—a good-natured boy and his cephalopod steward—begin their bedtime ritual. Octopus makes a warm bath. “Thank you, Octopus,” the boy says happily, until he realizes it’s a tub full of egg salad! “Gross! No thank you, Octopus,” the child firmly states. Wanting to make amends, Octopus offers more help and hilarity as he reinterprets the bedtime routine: Undies land on the Statue of Liberty, teeth receive a (paint) brushing, and the monsters under the bed? They’re now in the closet. Farrell’s playful illustrations, done in pencil and colored in a warm pastel palette, are appealing and hip. There is a meditative energy to his lines that perfectly captures the allure of the sea, and his use of word bubbles, patterning and quirky humor are reminiscent of an indie comic. In the end, the tables are turned, as the courteous kid extends a bear hug (given by an actual bear!) to Octopus. The best buddies say good night to each other—and to the bear, their dirty socks and the monsters in the closet.
A terrific read-aloud; each repeat visit will ensure gleeful participation, as readers practice both tone and volume. A maritime—and bedtime—delight. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 12, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3438-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: April 29, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2014
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by Jessie Sima ; illustrated by Jessie Sima ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 16, 2020
A sweet sisterhood seaside story.
Little Jules is determined to impress her big sister with an amazing sand castle…
…but the Ocean has other plans! Sima’s story hinges on Jules’ adoration of her big sister (unnamed and with slightly darker brown skin than Jules’ and their mom’s). When Mom brings them to the beach, Jules immediately starts building while her sister goes off with a boogie board. Jules toils away, and as the tide rolls in, the Ocean demolishes her creation. While Jules takes the Ocean’s destruction personally, her sister says, “this happens to everyone” before heading back out to the waves. Jules is discouraged as she sees other kids’ impressive, still-standing sand castles, but she persists only to be thwarted again by the Ocean. Her lowest point comes when the tides sweep away her bucket. Big sister comes to the rescue—not to save it but to help build another castle, using only their hands. It’s “definitely the BIGGEST…FANCIEST…MOST EXCELLENT” castle, but then, “Uh-oh.” A massive, spread-spanning CRASH! both obliterates the castle and leaves Jules and her sister exhilarated, and they race back to tell their mom what’s happened. In a twist that feels lifted from a Bob Graham story, “Mom assures them that happens to everyone.” Sima’s big-nosed cartoons are also reminiscent of Graham’s, in both the character-developing details (Jules’ ears stick out through her bobbed haircut endearingly) and their obvious affection for one another.
A sweet sisterhood seaside story. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5344-4168-2
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
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by Claire Evans ; illustrated by Claire Evans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 6, 2022
Superheroes, and readers, will live happily-ever-after.
Why have fairy tales lasted so long? Maybe it’s because they change with every teller.
It takes surprisingly little effort to turn the Three Little Pigs into superheroes. The Big Bad Wolf basically started out as a supervillain, with the ability to blow a house down, and the pigs had to perform spectacular feats to outwit him. In this picture book, the wolf, locked in the Happily Never After tower, devises a plot to escape. Using rotten eggs and spicy ginger, he creates the Gingerbread Man, who makes his way to a baking contest where the three pigs and other fairy-tale characters are competing to win the key to the city. The Gingerbread Man grabs the key, and not even superhero pigs are fast enough to catch him, but with their secret weapon—mustard (which one of the pigs also uses to bake cookies)—they save the day. The morals: Evil never triumphs, and mustard cookies are delicious. The book’s charm is in the details. There are splotches of mustard on the cookies featured on the endpapers, and a sly-looking mouse is hiding on many of the pages. The story even manages to include more than a dozen fairy-tale figures without seeming frenzied. Evans’ use of shading is so skillful that it almost seems possible to reach out and touch the characters. Most of the human characters are light-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
Superheroes, and readers, will live happily-ever-after. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Sept. 6, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-338-68221-2
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2022
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