Not a must-have.
Biedrzycki returns with a follow-up story of these two friends (Me and My Dragon, 2011), with a focus on Dragon’s fear of Halloween.
A boy and his oversized, bright red dragon enjoy many of the same things: birthday parties, parades and fireworks. But when the end of October nears, Dragon is not enthused. “He’s scared of werewolves. Zombies give him the creeps. And he hides whenever he sees a mummy.” The boy tries explaining that these creatures “aren’t real,” but Dragon is still scared. Thus begins a quest to make Dragon a costume so he can better understand and experience “what Halloween is all about.” As the boy and his dragon try out various dress-up ideas, readers will be mildly entertained by the humor infusing the digitally rendered illustrations. Dragon is first unsuccessfully wrapped in a mess of toilet paper as a mummy, then he’s unable to see where he is going in his Robodragon get-up, freaks out at his reflection in the mirror as a zombie and is utterly uncomfortable in a ballerina tutu. Of course, all ends well. Children coping with their own anxieties about Halloween as well as kids stumped for a costume to choose for trick-or-treating will appreciate the determination these two characters display. Although the book has its merits, though, the language is ploddingly pedestrian and concludes predictably.
Not a must-have. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-58089-658-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: July 16, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2013
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet.
A ghost longs to be scary, but none of the creepy personas she tries on fit.
Misty, a feline ghost with big green eyes and long whiskers, wants to be the frightening presence that her haunted house calls for, but sadly, she’s “too cute to be spooky.” She dons toilet paper to resemble a mummy, attempts to fly on a broom like a witch, and howls at the moon like a werewolf. Nothing works. She heads to a Halloween party dressed reluctantly as herself. When she arrives, her friends’ joyful screams reassure her that she’s great just as she is. Sadler’s message, though a familiar one, is delivered effectively in a charming, ghostly package. Misty truly is too precious to be frightening. Laberis depicts an endearingly spooky, all-animal cast—a frog witch, for instance, and a crocodilian mummy. Misty’s sidekick, a cheery little bat who lends support throughout, might be even more adorable than she is. Though Misty’s haunted house is filled with cobwebs and surrounded by jagged, leafless trees, the charming characters keep things from ever getting too frightening. The images will encourage lingering looks. Clearly, there’s plenty that makes Misty special just as she is—a takeaway that adults sharing the book with their little ones should be sure to drive home.
Too cute to be spooky indeed but most certainly sweet. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Aug. 13, 2024
ISBN: 9780593702901
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: May 17, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A wandering effort, happy but pointless.
The perfect book for kids who love dragons and mild tacos.
Rubin’s story starts with an incantatory edge: “Hey, kid! Did you know that dragons love tacos? They love beef tacos and chicken tacos. They love really big gigantic tacos and tiny little baby tacos as well.” The playing field is set: dragons, tacos. As a pairing, they are fairly silly, and when the kicker comes in—that dragons hate spicy salsa, which ignites their inner fireworks—the silliness is sillier still. Second nature, after all, is for dragons to blow flames out their noses. So when the kid throws a taco party for the dragons, it seems a weak device that the clearly labeled “totally mild” salsa comes with spicy jalapenos in the fine print, prompting the dragons to burn down the house, resulting in a barn-raising at which more tacos are served. Harmless, but if there is a parable hidden in the dragon-taco tale, it is hidden in the unlit deep, and as a measure of lunacy, bridled or unbridled, it doesn’t make the leap into the outer reaches of imagination. Salmieri’s artwork is fitting, with a crabbed, ethereal line work reminiscent of Peter Sís, but the story does not offer it enough range.
A wandering effort, happy but pointless. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 14, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-8037-3680-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: March 27, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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