Share this silly and satisfying title with all little monsters.
This full-of-loathing story is a welcome twist on the often saccharine how-much-do-you-love-me genre.
Slonim substitutes the word “loathe” for “love” and truly runs with it. His characters are two amiable horned monsters. The younger orange one quizzes the older and bigger creature about its true feelings. Just how much does it really loathe the little one? The rhyming text rollicks along: “I loathe you more than chicken pox, / more than stinky, sweaty socks. / More than garbage in a dump, / or splinters sticking in my rump. / Mosquito bites? I loathe them, yes, / But next to you, a whole lot less.” As the monsters sling increasingly gross and endearingly disgusting claims of loathsomeness, readers will alternately screech with “ewws” and laughter as they pore over the hilarious cartoon illustrations executed in acrylics with charcoal. At one point the monster child becomes a little quiet and wonders, “But what if I goof up someday, / or if my warts all fade away? / If I blurt out ‘THANKS,’ or ‘PLEASE’? / Or take a bath and kill my fleas? / If I should slip and just obey / then would your loathing go away?” Of course, the grown monster reassures his young one, as all good parents do. “Nice or nasty, kind or mean, / I loathe you up, down, and between.”
Share this silly and satisfying title with all little monsters. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Dec. 18, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-4424-2244-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Oct. 9, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2012
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Well-intentioned but, alas, as dry as matzo.
Edwards offers a story about Passover, but it might be a bad idea to read it during the holiday—particularly toward the end.
It’s Mama’s birthday and the first night of Passover, and Max is intent on baking her a cake. Max’s dad is busy with the new baby, and he doesn’t have time to help. Max comes up with a novel solution: He stacks pieces of matzo into a huge pile and covers them with jam and cream cheese. He even finds a tiny candle and places it on top for his mother’s birthday. A piece of matzo—as Jewish readers will know—is a flat, tasteless cracker, which Jews eat on Passover as bread is forbidden during the holiday. The holiday lasts for more than a week, so as inventive as Max’s solution is, observant Jews may think: There is nothing less appetizing than a giant stack of matzo. Readers will admire Max’s creativity, no matter how they feel about unleavened bread. They may be less happy with the stilted dialogue. Max tells his sister, “A long time ago, the Jews were slaves in Egypt. When Pharaoh freed them, they had to hurry, hurry, hurry away with their bread on their backs.” Max’s zeal is charming, but readers may find themselves thinking, more than once: No child has ever said that sentence.
Well-intentioned but, alas, as dry as matzo. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Jan. 28, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-449-81431-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Oct. 19, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2013
The happy ending, though predictable, sweetly satisfies.
Foxy scampers onto the scene just in time to help Emily complete her special valentines in this holiday sequel (Foxy, 2012).
Emily’s looking for inspiration when Foxy slips in through the window to offer his assistance. He listens to his friend’s thoughts on what she loves, and then, with a magical swish of his tail, he produces them for her. Only problem is, he often misunderstands what she says. Raccoons appear instead of balloons, larks and tarts but not hearts float about, and when Emily wishes for flowers, she finds herself covered in flour. Another sweep of Foxy’s tail always sets things right, and Emily seems to delight in it all. The preschool set will giggle over these silly misunderstandings while noticing that Foxy continues to expect Emily to mention him as one of the things she loves most. Dodd digitally renders a charming Emily with an oversized head topped with curly red hair and simple black eyes. Foxy has a more cartoonish look, with big eyes, a contrasting small mouth and a dramatically oversized tail. Once Foxy has conjured up the many objects Emily loves, he gently explains, “Valentine’s Day is not about what you love….It’s about who you love.” Of course, Emily needs no help knowing who that is.
The happy ending, though predictable, sweetly satisfies. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: Nov. 26, 2013
ISBN: 978-0-06-201422-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 17, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2013
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